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Excavator driver rescued after 13 hours trapped underground following tunnel collapse in Gwangmyeong

Published: 14 Apr. 2025, 15:44

Authorities pull out an excavator driver on April 13 from a tunnel that collapsed in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, on April 11 afternoon. [GYEONGGI FIRE SERVICES]

A man in his 20s who was dramatically rescued a day after the underground tunnel collapse on the Shinansan Line in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, said he fell into the imploding chaos "while going to get some water during excavator repairs."

The excavator driver fell about 30 meters (98.4 feet) underground at the Section 5-2 construction site of the Shinansan double-track rail line in Iljik-dong at 3:13 p.m. on Friday, according to the Gwangmyeong Police Precinct and rescue authorities on Monday.

He was rescued approximately 13 hours later, at 4:27 a.m. on Saturday, by a special response unit from the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters.

“I was repairing the excavator and got thirsty, so I went to the container to get some water,” the man said immediately after being rescued. “That’s when the ground collapsed and I fell.”

The excavator driver survived while trapped in the rubble, with his lower body pinned beneath collapsed concrete slabs and debris, his body curled up like a ball and unable to move. Right after the fall, he managed to call rescue workers with his mobile phone, signaling he was alive. The call was soon cut off.

Authorities work on April 13 to recover missing workers at a tunnel that collapsed in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, on April 11 afternoon. [YONHAP]

The excavator he had been working on remained above ground at the edge of the subsided area and did not fall.

Rescue workers could communicate with the man by voice starting around 10 p.m. on the day of the collapse. When firefighter Lee Jun-hee and fire lieutenant Cho Byung-joo from the special response unit called out from below, saying, “Are you okay? We’ll get you out of here,” he reportedly responded with noticeable relief.

After six hours of digging, the rescue team made face-to-face contact with the man, who was showing signs of dehydration. They gave him a chocolate milk with a straw and a chocolate bar. Fortunately, he had a breathable air pocket, surrounded by waste and debris.

Authorities work on April 13 to recover missing workers at a tunnel that collapsed in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, on April 11 afternoon. [YONHAP]

“Will I make it? Please rescue me,” the man asked as the rescue dragged on for several more hours. The team kept his spirits up by chatting with him, asking things like, “How old are you? Where do you live? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“When we finally rescued him, his parents were waiting at the site and shouted his name loudly,” said firefighter Lee. “That got everyone choked up. I hope he recovers quickly, and we can see him again in good health.”

The man was safely rescued with a crane and is currently receiving treatment at the regional trauma center of Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi. He suffered a fractured collarbone and showed signs of dehydration, but his condition is not considered life-threatening.

The collapsed underground section of the Sinansan Line construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, on April 11 [YONHAP]

Rescue authorities are continuing search efforts for another worker who went missing with the excavator driver, a man in his 50s who works for Posco E&C and remains missing on the fourth day since the tunnel collapse.

Based on eyewitness accounts that the worker was inside a container about 10 minutes before the collapse, officials have narrowed the search area. They carried out stabilization work to prevent further falling debris through Monday morning.

“We plan to use cranes to lift all debris from the site to locate the missing person,” said Kim Tae-yeon, head of the special response unit at the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters. “The container door was open just before the collapse, so we need to remove the surrounding structures to determine whether he was inside or outside the container at the time.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY SON SUNG-BAE [[email protected]]