A collapsed bridge that was under construction in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province (Yonhap)
A collapsed bridge that was under construction in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province (Yonhap)

Four people have died and six have been injured after a part of a bridge that was under construction collapsed in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday morning.

The fire agency stated that the South Chungcheong Province Fire Headquarters first received a report at the highway construction site in Sanpyeong-ri, Anseong at 9:49 a.m.

Authorities arrived at the site 10 minutes later and began rescue operations for those trapped under the debris.

Among 10 workers on the bridge Tuesday morning, two were found dead, seven workers were injured from the collapse and one was missing as of 11:45 a.m. according to the National Fire Agency.

After rescuing the last worker later in the day, the fire authority confirmed the death of two more workers who were found severely injured and in a state of cardiac arrest.

"We learned seven Koreans and three Chinese nationals were working at the highway construction site. Among those who were found dead, two workers were Chinese," an Anseong fire station official told the reporters during the press briefing held in the afternoon.

The National Fire Agency initially issued a level two emergency response alert out of its three-tier system, requiring most personnel from nearby fire stations to respond to the scene. It deployed 48 fire trucks, 147 firefighters and three fire helicopters to the site to conduct search and rescue operations.

The alert was lifted after all the workers were found at 2:31 p.m.

Though the exact cause of the collapse has yet to be determined, the fire authority presumes the process of moving beams between the piers was a factor.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction, a company in charge of the construction, offered apologies to those who lost their lives and were injured in the accident.

The company also pledged its utmost effort to cooperate with related agencies to identify the cause.

This video provided by a reader shows the collapse of the bridge near Anseong, Gyeonggi Province
This video provided by a reader shows the collapse of the bridge near Anseong, Gyeonggi Province

sj_lee@heraldcorp.com