South Korea: Search for one missing in subway construction site collapse ongoing for 2nd day

Gwangmyeong, April 12 (IANS) A search for one worker missing from a subway construction site collapse in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, continued for the second day Saturday, officials said.

The construction site for the Sinansan Line collapsed at 3:13 p.m. Friday, causing a section of the road above ground to cave in and damaging several buildings, Yonhap news agency reported.

Five workers were initially unreachable, but three were found safe, while another -- an excavator driver in his 20s -- was rescued 13 hours after the collapse some 30 metres underground.

Authorities are currently racing to find the fifth worker, who is in his 50s, and have deployed seven search-and-rescue dogs and plan to use heavy equipment as part of the operation.

Police and firefighters are facing difficulties in pinpointing the missing worker's location despite trying to locate him through his mobile phone.

The weather agency has forecast rain of up to 40 mm with thunder and lightning in the wider capital area through early Sunday morning, which will likely impede search operations.

"As there is still someone missing, we will first focus all our efforts on rescue operations," a police official said. "Rain is forecast later in the day, so our goal is to wrap up our operation before noon."

Police are separately conducting an initial probe to determine the cause of the collapse.

The site had been evacuated earlier Friday after authorities were alerted to the risk of collapse following the discovery of cracks in multiple pillars.

The collapse prompted authorities to issue an evacuation order for some 2,400 residents nearby, which was lifted just past midnight after safety inspections. About 220 people who spent the night at shelters have all returned home.

--IANS

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