"If It Had Been Delayed by Just One Minute"... Train Passed Beneath Soseomun Overpass Moments Before Collapse

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[The Financial News] A Mugunghwa-ho train was confirmed to have passed the collapse site about one minute before the Soseomun Overpass incident in Seoul.
According to Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation and Yonhap News TV on the 27th, CCTV footage from the previous day at the Seosomun Overpass demolition site showed a KTX train and a Mugunghwa-ho train passing beneath the overpass one after another just before part of the deck collapsed.
The video shows a 20-car KTX train, which had departed Haengsin Station and was heading to Pohang station via Seoul Station, passing under the overpass about five minutes before the accident with 42 passengers on board.
About four minutes after the KTX had completely cleared the area, a seven-car Mugunghwa-ho train passed through the same section. It was reported that there were no passengers on board.
About one minute after the Mugunghwa-ho train passed, the edge of the overpass deck collapsed.
The CCTV also captured officials who were taking part in the safety inspection at the time of the accident.
A total of 13 people had climbed onto the structure, and seven were still on the deck just before the collapse, according to reports.
Just before the collapse, one official was checking the condition of the girder supporting the deck at the edge of the structure. When the deck gave way, the person narrowly avoided falling by hanging onto the deck. However, the site manager and others inspecting inside the girder were unable to escape.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the officials were caught in the fatal accident after going to inspect the site without any special safety measures, even though signs of abnormality had already been detected about 12 hours earlier.
According to the accident briefing released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government Infrastructure Headquarters on the day, the first sign of trouble at the Seosomun Overpass demolition site was detected at 2:30 a.m. the previous day. While cutting the slab from 1:30 a.m., workers confirmed that the girder had sunk by 2.9 cm.
At the order of the Chief Supervisor, work was halted about an hour later. At the site, a plate connecting the girders was installed to prevent further sagging.
The construction contractor reported the situation by phone to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Infrastructure Headquarters around 7:30 a.m. After an in-person briefing and site inspection, the safety assessment began at 1:40 p.m.
However, even when the safety inspection began, the possibility of a sudden collapse was not considered. As a result, the assessment proceeded without any additional measures, such as installing support structures. Officials are believed to have entered beneath the overpass wearing only safety helmets and were inspecting the underside when the collapse occurred.
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter