South Korea: Rescuers resume search for missing worker at collapsed subway construction site in Gwangmyeong

Rescuers resumed operations Sunday to locate a worker who has been missing for over 48 hours following the collapse of a subway construction site in the city of Gwangmyeong, officials said.

The construction site for the Sinansan Line in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, collapsed Friday, causing a section of the road above ground to cave in and damaging several buildings, Yonhap news agency reported.

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Authorities restarted rescue work at 2:10 p.m. to find a worker in his 50s, who has been out of reach since the accident, as they had been forced to suspend operations Saturday due to safety concerns amid worsening weather conditions.

The man was one of five workers who were initially unreachable. But three of them were found safe, while another — an excavator driver in his 20s — was rescued 13 hours after the collapse some 30 metres underground.

The worker was presumed to be located 35 to 40 metres underground, but his exact location and condition remain unconfirmed.

“Due to numerous hazards at the scene, it is impossible to enter the lower section of the collapsed underground tunnel at this time,” an official from the municipal fire station said.

“We will begin by removing safety fences around the site. We will do our utmost to carry out the operation as swiftly as possible,” he added.