(Gwangmyeong=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Sol: The police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor investigating the collapse at the Sinansan Line underground tunnel construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, have started a forced investigation into the construction company, POSCO E&C, among others.
The collapse occurred at the underground tunnel construction site of the Sinansan Line in Gwangmyeong City on the 11th, resulting in both the tunnel under construction and the road above collapsing. Rescue workers were inspecting the scene on the 15th.
On the morning of the 25th, from around 9 a.m., the special investigation team of the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency and the Seongnam Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor began a search and seizure of nine places, including the headquarters of POSCO E&C, the site office, and the supervision office involving seven companies.
About 90 people, including 60 police investigators and labor inspectors from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, were mobilized for the search and seizure.
Through this operation, the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor aim to examine the cause of the tunnel collapse and compliance with safety regulations.
The accident occurred at 3:13 p.m. on the 11th at the Sinansan Line double-track railway Section 5-2 construction site in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong City, where POSCO E&C was working, leading to the collapse of the underground tunnel and the road above.
As a result of the accident, one POSCO E&C worker died, and an excavator operator from a subcontractor was seriously injured.
The deceased worker was missing for about 125 hours before being found dead at a depth of 21 meters underground at 8:11 p.m. on the 16th.