SEOUL (Reuters) – At least two people died and five were injured on Tuesday after a collapse at a highway construction site in the South Korean city of Cheonan, fire authorities said.
The accident took place at 9:49 a.m. (0049 GMT) when five 50 metre (164.04 ft) steel structures supporting the highway bridge collapsed one after another after being hoisted into place by a crane, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Earlier, Yonhap reported three deaths, but the national fire agency said that two people had died so far and five were injured, including four who were in a critical condition.
Authorities were also searching for another three people who were thought to be buried under rubble at the site, it said.
Broadcaster YTN aired dramatic footage showing a deck of a towering bridge collapsing at the site in Cheonan, south of the capital Seoul.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok called to mobilise all available personnel and resources to rescue any missing people and to ensure safety measures to prevent further damage, his office said.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies)
