🚨Breaking: Tunnel Collapse at Gwangmyeong Shinansan Line Construction Site – Workers Missing!🚧

A serious incident occurred at the Shinansan Line construction site in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, halting operations due to a tunnel collapse. Here’s the latest on the situation:

Incident Overview

On April 11, a collapse occurred at the Shinansan Line’s 5-2 section near Yangji Intersection in Gwangmyeong. The collapse involved a double-arch (투아치) tunnel structure, where multiple support columns showed cracks, leading to the incident. 투아치 (Tua-chi) is a Korean term referring to a double arch structure commonly used in tunnel construction.

Immediate Response

• Initial Shutdown: Work was immediately suspended following the discovery of cracks in the support columns earlier in the day.
• Traffic Control: A 1 km stretch of the six-lane Ori-ro road, from Gwangmyeong Yangji Intersection to Anyang Horyeon Intersection, was closed to all traffic.

Casualties and Rescue Efforts

At the time of the collapse, 17 workers were on-site. Initially, five workers conducting safety inspections on the road above were unreachable. Three have since been confirmed safe. However:

• One worker is trapped: A heavy equipment operator is confirmed to be trapped underground.
• One worker is missing: Search and rescue operations are ongoing to find the missing worker.

Structural Damage

The collapse has also caused damage to the ground-level road and nearby commercial facilities. Authorities are assessing the full extent of the damage.

Investigation

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, along with the construction company POSCO E&C, are investigating the cause of the cracks and the subsequent collapse.

Stay tuned for more updates as the situation develops. 🙏