South Korean firefighters and rescue team at the overpass, which collapsed while it was being dismantled in Seoul, South Korea, on May 26, 2026. (Photo: Yonhap via AP/Lee Ji-eun)

South Korea overpass collapse kills three people during safety inspection

All the people killed and injured were senior city public works officials and a private sector expert conducting the inspection, a fire official said.

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SEOUL: A section of an overpass under demolition in the South Korean capital Seoul collapsed on Tuesday (May 26), killing three people who were conducting a safety inspection and injuring three others, fire and city officials said.

Television footage showed emergency workers conducting a search-and-rescue operation as a long segment of the structure lay collapsed on the street below, near a railway crossing in central Seoul.

Workers detected signs of instability in the structure overnight and suspended the demolition early on Tuesday for a safety inspection, a Seoul city official said.

South Korean firefighters and rescue team at the overpass, which collapsed while it was being dismantled in Seoul, South Korea, on May 26, 2026. (Photo: Yonhap via AP/Lee Ji-eun)

The section collapsed on Tuesday afternoon while safety inspectors were inside the support structure, the official said.

All the people killed and injured were senior city public works officials and a private sector expert conducting the inspection, a fire official said.

The overpass, built in 1966, was being demolished due to safety defects in the ageing structure, the city said.

Source: Reuters/dy

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