South Korea overpass collapse kills 2 people, injures 4, officials say

SEOUL — A section of an overpass under demolition in the South Korean capital, Seoul, collapsed on Tuesday (May 26), killing two people and injuring at least four others, fire and city officials said.

Television footage showed emergency workers conducting a search-and-rescue operation as a long segment of the structure lay collapsed on the street below, near a railway crossing in central Seoul.

@asiaone Three people were killed and three others injured after a section of an overpass collapsed during demolition work in Seoul’s Seodaemun District on May 26. #news #Seoul #SouthKorea #Collapse #Overpass ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Workers detected signs of instability in the structure overnight and suspended the demolition early on Tuesday for a safety inspection, a Seoul city official said.

The section collapsed on Tuesday afternoon while safety inspectors were inside the support structure, the official said.

The overpass, built in 1966, was being demolished due to safety defects in the ageing structure, he said.

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