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| ▲ Authorities rescue a worker, who was trapped in a subway construction site collapse, in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, in this photo provided by the Gyeonggi Province Fire Services on April 12, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ A section of a road above a subway construction site in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, is seen caved in after the site collapsed on April 11, 2025. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) construction site-collapse
(LEAD) Search suspended for missing worker at subway construction site amid fears of further collapse
(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES with latest developments in 4th, last paras; TRIMS)
GWANGMYEONG, South Korea, April 12 (Yonhap) -- Rescuers suspended their search for a missing worker at a collapsed subway construction site in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, due to safety concerns amid worsening weather conditions, authorities said Saturday.
The construction site for the Sinansan Line collapsed at 3:13 p.m. Friday, causing a section of the road above ground to cave in and damaging several buildings.
Five workers were initially unreachable, but three were found safe, while another -- an excavator driver in his 20s -- was rescued 13 hours after the collapse some 30 meters underground.
The search operation for the fifth worker, a man in his 50s, had entered its second day, with authorities deploying seven search-and-rescue dogs and using heavy equipment.
However, due to concerns of another collapse in the rain, rescuers were pulled from the site in the afternoon.
Police and firefighters faced difficulties in pinpointing the missing worker's location despite trying to locate him through his mobile phone.
The weather agency has forecast rain of up to 40 mm with thunder and lightning in the wider capital area through early Sunday morning.
Police are separately conducting an initial probe to determine the cause of the collapse.
The site had been evacuated earlier Friday after authorities were alerted to the risk of collapse following the discovery of cracks in multiple pillars.
The collapse prompted authorities to issue an evacuation order for some 2,400 residents nearby, which was lifted just past midnight after safety inspections. About 220 people who spent the night at shelters have all returned home.
The search operation for the fifth worker will resume once the rain stops and conditions are deemed safe for rescuers, authorities said.
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