Missing Worker Found Dead at Shinan Line Underground Tunnel Collapse Site

A worker who went missing due to the collapse of the Shinan Line underground tunnel in Gwangmyeong was found dead after approximately 124 hours since the accident occurred.

According to the National Fire Agency on the 16th, A, a worker in their 50s affiliated with POSCO E&C, was discovered around 7:30 PM during the search process after being missing since the accident.

Hong Geon-pyo, head of the Fire Prevention Division at Gwangmyeong Fire Department, stated in a briefing at the site, “We conducted the final search up to the area where the missing person was presumed to be around the educational container. As a result, we recovered the body around 8:11 PM.”

The fire authorities explained that A was found in a condition with a significant amount of debris, making rescue operations difficult, and the state of the container was not intact. A's body was transferred to Gwangmyeong Hospital at Korea University.

The incident occurred on the 11th when the underground tunnel construction site, managed by POSCO E&C at the Shinan Line double-track construction project in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong, collapsed along with the upper road.

After the accident, the rescue team dedicated all efforts to searching for the missing person for over five days, despite unstable ground and deteriorating weather conditions.

Challenges in Rescue Operations and Search Process

The fire authorities confirmed shortly after the accident that A and B, a 20-something excavator operator, were trapped at the site and continued their rescue and search operations.

B was successfully rescued by the fire authorities around 13 hours after the accident, on the morning of the 12th, but A's cellphone kept turning on and off after the incident, and an hour after the accident, it ran out of battery, making location tracking impossible.

Subsequently, search operations were temporarily suspended and resumed multiple times due to adverse weather conditions and weakening ground.

On the morning of the 16th, around 10 AM, authorities focused on searching for the missing person after excavating down to a depth of 21 meters out of a total of 34.5 meters from the surface to the floor of the underground tunnel.

It was reported that around 6:30 PM, the fire authorities confirmed part of A’s body using an endoscopic camera.

With A's discovery, the search operation for the missing person came to an end, and it is expected that the investigation into the cause of the accident and recovery operations at the collapse site will accelerate.

POSCO E&C released an apology through its CEO Jeong Hee-min on the 16th, stating, “We will take full responsibility and mobilize all possible methods to provide the best support.”

Additionally, it expressed, “We mourn the deceased and extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family.”

Image source: News1