Seoul police raid city governtment, engineering company offices over overpass collapse
Police on Friday raided the offices of the Seoul city government, an engineering company and others involved in the demolition of an overpass in western Seoul that partially collapsed earlier this week, News.Az reports, citing Yonhap.
The raids took place three days after a section of the Seosomun Overpass undergoing demolition collapsed, killing three people and injuring three others.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it was carrying out searches and seizures at seven locations, including the city government's infrastructure headquarters and contractors involved in the demolition work, as part of its investigation into the collapse.
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The simultaneous raids, which involve 33 police investigators and 20 workplace safety officials under the labor ministry, seek to secure evidence to determine the exact cause of the collapse and those responsible for the accident, according to the police.
The labor ministry said it plans to check whether proper safety measures were followed at the site, vowing to "strictly" seek accountability if it finds any violation of workplace safety laws.
On Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung called for a prompt investigation and stern punishment for those responsible for recent safety-related incidents, including the collapse of the overpass.
The collapse occurred Tuesday afternoon during an on-site safety inspection after demolition work was halted early in the morning due to signs of a slight shift in the structure.
Police conducted an inspection of the site immediately after the collapse and have secured security camera footage of the site at the time of the accident.
The city government said in a statement that it was cooperating with the police investigation, pledging efforts to determine the cause of the accident.
Built in 1966, the overpass had been undergoing demolition since August over safety concerns and was expected to be torn down by next month.
The labor ministry approved the city government's plan to resume demolition of the structure Thursday evening. The city plans to complete the demolition work by early Saturday morning.
By Nijat Babayev
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