13 people were on Seosomun elevated road structure before collapse; warning signs missed

Thirteen individuals were present on the Seosomun elevated road structure when it collapsed during demolition work in Seoul's Seodaemun-gu district. The incident occurred on April 26, and rescue authorities are still confirming if there were additional casualties. The revelation comes as investigations probe the circumstances leading to the tragedy.

Evidence indicates that a supporting girder, responsible for holding up the concrete slab, had shown signs of subsidence approximately 53 minutes before the collapse. Despite this critical warning, multiple personnel, including city officials, safety inspectors, and construction company employees, were on the structure. Five of these individuals were positioned on scaffolding directly below the girder to assess its condition after it had sunk about 2.9 centimeters during cutting work earlier that morning.

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The collapsed girder was mostly cut, so the weight of people in addition to the scaffolding could have been a factor triggering the collapse.

Experts are examining whether the presence of numerous people on the structure contributed to the collapse. While the weight of around 900-1000 kilograms might be manageable under normal circumstances, it could have acted as a critical load on an already weakened structure. Construction safety expert Choi Myung-ki suggested that the weight of people, in addition to the already cut girder, could have been a triggering factor for the collapse.

Furthermore, structural engineers point to a systemic failure in assessing the situation. Lee Seok-jong, vice chairman of the Korea Society of Civil Engineers and Architects, stated that measuring a 2.9 cm girder subsidence is highly unusual and should have prompted an immediate evacuation by anyone with structural expertise. He theorized that the outer girder, exposed to weather and potentially damaged, might have collapsed after adjacent girders were cut, causing the entire structure to give way.

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Measuring a 2.9 cm girder subsidence is highly unusual, so if there was expert knowledge of the structure, they would have evacuated.