Chinese among those killed in S Korea bridge collapse

At least four people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed and six injured after a bridge collapsed at an expressway construction site in South Korea yesterday, authorities said.

Local media aired dramatic footage of what appeared to be a section of the bridge collapsing, sending a massive cloud of smoke into the air.

At least four people were killed, five were seriously injured and one suffered a minor injury, the National Fire Agency said.

Of those killed, two were Chinese nationals and two were South Koreans, an interior ministry official said.

The incident occurred at around 9:50am in Anseong, around 65 kilometers south of the South Korean capital.

"All individuals who suffered injuries are currently being treated at hospitals," the National Fire Agency said.

The National Fire Agency initially said it took place in the nearby city of Cheonan but later corrected that claim.

Hyundai Engineering, the main contractor of the construction site, apologized and said it was assisting authorities.

Acting President Choi Sang Mok issued urgent directives to mobilize all available resources and personnel for the rescue operation.

More than 8,000 work-related deaths occurred in South Korea from 2020 to 2023, according to data from Seoul's labor ministry.

Meanwhile, ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol faced his final impeachment hearing yesterday before judges decide whether to formally remove him from office over his disastrous martial law declaration.

This comes less than three years into his five-year presidency after the parliament accused him of declaring martial law on December 3 with no justifiable constitutional grounds.

Yoon is being held in the Seoul Detention Centre after he was arrested over a separate criminal case, charging him with leading an insurrection. The former prosecutor is the first sitting president to face a criminal trial.

The Constitutional Court has up to six months from December 14, when it registered the case.

Agence France-Presse, Reuters