Two South Koreans were killed and three others injured after a crane broke down at a construction site near Seoul, police said Monday.

Five workers fell from a 55-meter-tall tower crane at the construction site for an apartment complex in Namyangju, just northeast of Seoul, around 4:40 p.m., according to police and firefighters. 

Two were confirmed dead at the scene and three seriously injured were rushed to nearby hospitals in Namyangju and Seoul. Two of the three injured workers reportedly are in critical condition.

Hospital officials could not be reached for comment.

The accident took place when the workers were in the middle of a telescoping job to extend the length of the crane by 16 meters to 71 meters. The workers fell from the crane to the ground, police said.

The police said they will look into what caused the accident and whether the workers followed safety measures at the construction site.

Separately, two workers were killed in two different accidents at a subway construction site in eastern Seoul around 6:46 p.m. One worker from Kazakhstan fell from the first basement to the second basement and a Korean worker was trapped in the machine he was operating, according to police.

The two workers were moved to nearby hospitals but were dead on arrival. The police said they are investigating what caused the accidents. (Yonhap)