Namyangju crane accident death toll rises to three

Three people were killed and two others seriously injured after a crane gave way at a construction site in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday.

According to police, five workers fell from a 55-meter-tall, 18-ton tower crane at the Dasan New City apartment complex construction site northeast of Seoul, at around 4:40 p.m. Two workers were pronounced dead at the scene, while three others were seriously wounded. 

The police revealed Tuesday that one of the three injured died at around 1 a.m. after being transferred to the hospital. It has been reported that another injured worker remains in critical condition.

The accident occurred when the tower broke while the length of the crane was being extended, causing the five workers to fall. The construction had been underway for a Hyundai Hillstate apartment, a signature apartment brand for Hyundai Engineering & Construction.

Police said they were still investigating the exact cause of the accident and were looking into whether the workers complied with all the safety protocols.

Since June 2015, Korea has seen a total of 18 crane-related accidents, resulting in 28 deaths and 61 injuries.

The incident at Namyangju comes less than a month after a crane collision at Samsung Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province killed six people and injured 25 others on May 1.

Investigators of the shipyard wreck are looking into whether the crane collision was caused by miscommunication between crane operators as well as whether the company, an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, complied with all onsite safety regulations.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)