1 in cardiac arrest, 2 injured in S. Korea's subway construction site accident

SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- One worker went into cardiac arrest and two others were injured on Thursday in South Korea's subway construction site accident, according to Yonhap news agency.

It was reported to the police at about 1:22 p.m. local time that people were pinned under the collapsed steel bars at the construction site for a new subway line in the capital Seoul.

Among the seven workers trapped, one man in his 50s was found in cardiac arrest and was rushed to a hospital.

Another man in his 50s was taken to a hospital with a minor ankle injury, while a foreign worker in his 30s escaped from the site before receiving on-site treatment for abrasions on his wrist.

The remaining four workers were rescued at around 2:52 p.m. local time after evacuating to a vertical shaft.

The accident was presumed to have occurred at a depth of 70 meters underground after reinforcing bars fell during the concrete pouring work.

The police planned to investigate the rescued workers and the construction company to determine if there was any safety lapse during the work. ■