Chungmuro Station 4-Year-Old Child Fall Accident... Rescued with Help from Passengers

26cm Gap Between Train and Platform at Chungmuro Station on Line 3

A child who was getting off the subway fell into the gap between the train and the platform. It was a harrowing moment, but with the help of passengers, the child was safely rescued.

At around 1 p.m. on the 27th, a 4-year-old child fell completely into the gap between the train and the platform while getting off the Seoul Subway Line 3 at Chungmuro Station, heading toward Daehwa. The child was accompanied by a guardian but was with a younger sibling.

Train and platform gap at Chungmuro Station where a child fell on the 27th
Photo by Yonhap News

It was a close call that could have led to a serious accident, but the passengers acted swiftly and in unison. Some passengers, hearing the child's mother's scream, immediately blocked the doors from closing with their bodies, and meanwhile reached into the gap where the child had fallen to rescue them. This all happened within 20 seconds.

The Chungmuro Station authorities confirmed that the situation was under control and resumed subway operations about five minutes later.

The gap between the train and the platform at Chungmuro Station on Line 3 measures 26 cm. It is the second widest after the 28 cm gap at Seongsin Women's University Entrance Station on Line 4. According to the Urban Railway Construction Regulations, if the gap between the vehicle and the platform exceeds 10 cm, safety devices such as footboards must be installed.

Seoul Metro installs fixed rubber footboards at boarding locations where the gap exceeds 10 cm, but as of last year, only 643 out of 3,397 locations (19%) had such installations.

The remaining 81% (2,754 locations) are considered difficult to install due to structural reasons, according to the metro authorities. They explained, "It is not possible to ensure the safe operation of trains while in service."

Last year, incidents of feet slipping into gaps at platforms on Seoul Subway Lines 1 to 8 occurred about once a week, and incidents of mobile phones falling into the gaps happened about twice a day, according to investigations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.