"5 Seconds After Passing the Bridge, Bang Bang Cannon Sounds"... Driver Breathes a Sigh of Relief

A collapse accident occurred during construction on the Cheonan~Anseong section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway, and a black box video capturing the moment the bridge collapsed has been released. The driver who passed under the bridge just before the accident and recorded the black box video said, "It's terrifying just to imagine if I had passed under the bridge even a few seconds later," expressing relief.

The collapse scene at the Anseong Expressway construction site captured on a black box provided by eyewitness Baek Yong-hae. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on the 25th, Baek Yonghae (32) was driving his passenger car along a local road under the bridge pier under construction. Baek, who was heading from Jincheon, Chungbuk to a delivery company in Cheonan, Chungnam, felt his vehicle shake suddenly right after passing under the pier, followed by a loud explosion-like noise from behind. Startled by the unexpected sound, he stopped the car and looked back to see the concrete deck slab on the pier collapsing and releasing a cloud of dust.

The black box video released by Baek shows his vehicle passing directly under the pier, and about five seconds later, the deck slab collapsing. Several deck slabs, located about 50 meters high, sagged from the center and then fell down. The video also shows other vehicles attempting to pass under the bridge slowing down immediately after the accident occurred.

The collapse site at the Anseong Expressway construction area captured on a black box provided by eyewitness Baek Yong-hae. Photo by Yonhap News

Baek told Yonhap News, "Many cars usually travel on the local road under the pier," and added, "It's terrifying just to imagine if I had passed under the bridge even a few seconds later." He also said, "I have been watching the highway bridge being constructed for about two years," and "Until today's accident, there was nothing unusual to the naked eye."

Earlier that day, around 9:49 a.m., at the bridge construction site on the Cheonan~Anseong section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway in Sanpyeong-ri, Seoun-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, 4 to 5 deck slabs of the pier collapsed down about 50 meters. As a result of the accident, 10 workers on site fell and were buried; 4 died and 6 were injured.

The Seoul-Sejong Expressway is broadly divided into the metropolitan area section (Anseong~Guri, total length 72 km) and the non-metropolitan area section (Sejong~Anseong, including Osong branch line, 62 km). The metropolitan area section opened on January 1, and the Sejong~Anseong section, where the accident occurred, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.

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