A team of prosecutors will investigate the overpass collapse in Seoul that killed three people and injured three others, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office said.
Four prosecutors and six investigators will probe the deadly incident to determine the cause and identify those responsible, while providing swift support for the victims.
“The special team will cooperate with the police from the warrant application stage to make sure the investigation runs as smoothly as possible,” officials said yesterday.
The overpass, which was in the process of being demolished, collapsed at around 2.31pm local time on Tuesday, killing three men, identified as the chief supervisor of an engineering company, the site manager and an outside expert. Three other construction workers sustained injuries.
The authorities are still calculating the property damage caused by the accident.
A forensic examination by police, the National Forensic Service, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and other related agencies was conducted at the site of the accident in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, from midnight to 4am.
They are looking into whether there were any safety violations related to the demolition and whether warning signs had been ignored.
Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the construction company could face criminal charges if investigators find violations of safety manuals or safety laws, police said.
The ageing overpass had been in use for decades since it was built in 1966, and the city began work to tear down and rebuild it in 2025.
It was slated to be completely demolished later in 2026 and reconstructed by 2028.
Railway services in the Seoul area were disrupted, including the suspension and rerouting of more than 120 KTX high-speed trains, because debris fell on the tracks and damaged power lines between Seoul Station and Sinchon Station.
According to railway authorities, only 80.8% of all trains were operating yesterday.
Korail said it will resume full train operations after repairs by the city government are completed and safety checks on facilities and power supply systems are finished. — The Korea Herald/ANN
