No safety rope to prevent tilting

[Anchor]

The bridge that collapsed at the construction site of the Sejong Anseong Expressway fell due to the tilting of the 'girder,' which serves as a beam.

In such operations, safety ropes are supposed to be installed to prevent the girder from tilting, but it has been confirmed that there were no safety ropes at this site.

This is a report by reporter Lee Ji-eun.

[Report]

The cross-section of the girder revealed after the accident shows the beam on the bridge.

The girders are connected by rebar.

Narrow and tall girders can easily tilt, so both sides of the girder must be secured with safety ropes during work.

Even in the promotional video of the construction company, it is specified that wire ropes and horizontal reinforcing bars are installed as anti-tipping facilities.

However, there were no safety ropes at the accident site.

There are no signs of ropes being connected to the collapsed girder or the girders that remained intact.

[Civil Structural Engineer/Voice Altered: "The wire rope is (to be) held from above the girder and tied below. It needs to be done immediately after the girder is installed or placed down."]

The accident occurred after the work of placing the girder on the bridge was completed.

After placing the girder in the upward lane, the equipment used for the girder installation, the launcher, was reversing to return to the starting point of the bridge.

As it nears the last of the four sections between the piers, the girder collapsed.

The rebar connecting the girders alone was not enough to prevent tilting.

[Choi Myung-ki/Professor of the Korea Industrial Field Professors Group: "When reviewing the plan, it is stipulated to install (wire ropes) because there is a possibility of tipping. If that is not included, it would be a bigger problem as it would mean the plan review itself was done incorrectly."]

It will also be investigated whether there were other safety devices, such as supports, to prevent the girders from tilting.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is investigating the cause of the accident, keeping open various possibilities, including design errors of the girder and malfunctions of the launcher, as well as negligence during the construction process.

This is KBS News, Lee Ji-eun.