Collapse of the Oksan Overpass Retaining Wall, Police Investigation Intensifies
Starting from 9 AM on the 22nd, the South Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency's special investigation team for the Oksan retaining wall collapse incident has commenced a forced investigation on Oksan City Hall and Hyundai Engineering & Construction.
This investigation is related to the incident on the Oksan overpass at Gajang Intersection, where a retaining wall collapsed, resulting in the death of a driver in their 40s.
The police executed search warrants at the disaster management department of Oksan City Hall and the road construction maintenance department. They also conducted searches at the headquarters of Hyundai Engineering & Construction located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, as well as a road maintenance company based in Oksan, which was responsible for the construction site.
The police plan to meticulously investigate the city's road management practices and whether there were any violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act through this search.
Prior to the incident, there had been several signs of potential collapse, but appropriate measures were lacking.
The accident occurred at approximately 7:04 PM on the 16th, on the Oksan overpass at Gajang-dong.
As the 10-meter-high retaining wall collapsed, hundreds of tons of soil and debris fell onto the road below, tragically burying a driver in their 40s.
Criticism has arisen particularly because Oksan City failed to take immediate action despite several warning signs of potential collapse prior to this incident.
During a thorough safety inspection of the overpass conducted last month, deformations in the asphalt (wavering of the surface) were discovered. However, Oksan City apparently trusted the company's statement that there were no safety issues and did not take any significant actions.
Even more shocking is that just one day prior to the incident, a citizen reported to the city that “the ground on the right side of the second lane (of the road where the accident occurred) is sinking. There are concerns about a collapse if rainwater infiltrates.” Despite this, Oksan City only carried out pothole repairs on the overpass and did not implement any traffic control measures for the road below.
The police are currently conducting a thorough investigation into various aspects, including Oksan City's inadequate response, the possibility of negligence by the retaining wall construction company, and the impact of heavy rainfall on the day of the accident. Through this investigation, it is expected that responsibilities for road safety management will be clarified, and measures to prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future will be put in place.
Image source: Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Headquarters, firefighters are involved in rescue operations for the buried vehicles after the retaining wall collapsed on the Oksan overpass at Gajang Intersection in Gyeonggi Province in the afternoon of the 16th. / News1
