20160601 Korea Four killed in explosion at subway construction site
Korea Jun 01 2016 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured more than 10
Four killed in explosion at subway construction site
Updated: 2016-06-01 21:53
By Kim Rahn
Four workers died and 10 were injured in a gas explosion at a subway construction site in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday.
According to police and fire authorities, the explosion took place at around 7:20 a.m. resulting in a structural collapse at the site. About 60 rescue workers and 19 fire and police vehicles were mobilized to the scene.
The victims are believed to have died from the blast wave from the explosion, which occurred 15 meters underground. One was found aboveground as he is believed to have been thrown clear by the explosion. The other three were trapped under debris and found dead later.
Ten other workers, who were also trapped, were taken to nearby hospitals. Three of them are in critical condition with serious burns, according to police.
Most of the workers were in their 40s or 50s and belonged to a subcontractor of POSCO Engineering & Construction, the builder of the subway section that will extend Seoul Metro Line 4 beyond Danggogae into Namyangju.
The workers were welding iron bars under a bridge there, according to the Korea Rail Network Authority, which had placed the order for the railway construction.
“We suspect the accident happened as a propane gas cylinder exploded when the workers started welding,” an official from the fire authority said, adding that it is not known yet why the cylinder exploded. He said the workers were not using explosives.
The police, National Forensic Service and Korea Gas Safety Corp. are jointly investigating the cause of the explosion. “If we find safety rule violations, we’ll book those responsible,” a police official said.
Public Safety and Security Minister Park In-yong visited the accident site. “I was told that the workers received safety training the previous day, but we’ll inspect whether they adhered to regulations,” Park said.
Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kang Ho-in also visited the site. “The government will inspect all construction sites nationwide where explosives or gas are used, to prevent similar accidents from occurring,” Kang said.
Police and fire authorities are also checking for damage to a bridge above the explosion site.
Web Source: Korea times
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/06/113_206043.html