Funeral Held for Worker in His 50s Killed in Shinansan Line Collapse

Police Investigating Cause of Accident

The funeral for a worker in his 50s, who was found dead six days after the collapse at Section 5-2 of the Shinansan Line double-track railway in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, was held on April 19.

According to the police and other sources, the funeral for Mr. A, a worker in his 50s affiliated with POSCO E&C who died in the accident, was solemnly held that morning at a funeral hall in Gwangmyeong.

At the collapse site of the Shinansan Line double-track railway Section 5-2 in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, 119 paramedics and police officers are conducting rescue operations for the missing persons.

On April 11 at around 3:13 p.m., Mr. A went missing when the underground tunnel construction site and the overlying road at Section 5-2 of the Shinansan Line double-track railway in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong, where POSCO E&C was carrying out construction, collapsed. Immediately after he went missing, his mobile phone repeatedly powered on and off, but about an hour after the accident, the phone lost power completely, making it impossible to track his location. Search operations were suspended several times due to worsening weather conditions and ground instability.

On April 16, six days after the accident, fire authorities identified a part of Mr. A's body using an endoscopic camera and recovered his remains at a depth of 21 meters underground at 8:11 p.m. It was 125 hours after the accident.

Later that night, POSCO E&C issued an official statement under the name of CEO Jung Heemin, saying, "We pray for the repose of the deceased who lost his life in this accident," and added, "With a heavy heart, we offer our deepest apologies to the bereaved family and the people of Korea." The company further stated, "Along with handling the aftermath of the accident, we will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause and establish measures to prevent recurrence."

POSCO E&C had previously faced public criticism for not issuing an official apology except through media responses. The incident also drew renewed attention to the similarities in construction methods and warning signs between this accident and the 2012 collapse of a tunnel on Incheon Subway Line 2, which was also constructed by POSCO E&C. In that previous accident, a sudden road collapse near the construction site resulted in the death of a motorcyclist who was buried under the debris.

The police have formed a dedicated investigative team to look into the causes of this accident, in which Mr. A died and an excavator operator from a POSCO E&C subcontractor was seriously injured.