Workers had been attempting to reinforce structure as tunnels were already subsiding
The collapsed subway construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province showed signs of structural damage before the ground subsided, a local news outlet reported Tuesday.
According to broadcaster YTN, construction company POSCO E&C had installed gauges at five spots inside the tunnel at around 2 a.m. of April 11, about 14 hours before the incident that killed one and injured three. The gauges reportedly showed that the archways of the tunnel were progressively lowering over time, subsiding by 4.1 centimeters and 3.7 centimeters at around 1:50 p.m., a little over an hour before the accident.
Despite these ominous signs, a response meeting at around 10 a.m. reportedly concluded that the tunnel was unlikely to collapse suddenly, and that structural supplementation would be necessary. The workers who were inside the tunnel had been conducting an inspection for reinforcement construction when a structural failure led to the collapse.
The construction company did not comment on the issue, as the case is still under police investigation.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Monday it is investigating three individuals related to the collapse for death by occupational negligence: an official of POSCO E&C, an official of a subcontractor and an auditor dispatched to supervise the construction.
The government is also currently investigating the case to determine the exact cause of the accident. The police, the Ministry of Land and Transportation and the National Forensic Service are slated to conduct an on-site investigation.
Nineteen workers had been on site of the construction site for Sinansan Line, a new addition to the subway system of the greater Seoul's area -- at the time of the April 11 collapse. Of the two workers trapped underneath, one was rescued after 13 hours, but the other was found dead buried under rubble 21 meters underground last Wednesday.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
