The scene of the Haemicheon accident [South Chungcheong Province Fire Department]
The scene of the Haemicheon accident [South Chungcheong Province Fire Department]

A middle school girl who had been in critical condition after a drowning accident in Haemicheon stream in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, has died.

According to police and fire authorities, the girl, identified only as A, 13, died June 25 after she was pulled from the stream in cardiac arrest on June 19 at around 5:16 p.m.

A and her close friend B, also 13, fell into Haemicheon while walking home from school together that afternoon and were rescued by emergency responders in cardiac arrest.

B was taken to a hospital but died the same day. A briefly regained consciousness but fought for her life in intensive care after water filled her lungs and other organs, according to authorities.

The two students had waded into the stream as they often did on their way home, apparently believing it to be the shallow waterway they knew well. At a certain point, however, the riverbed suddenly gave way beneath them, causing them to lose their footing and be swept under.

Police are investigating claims by the bereaved families that recent riverbank maintenance work had deepened the stream, contributing to the accident.

The father of B, who died first, said the riverbed had been cut at a right angle where the depth should have changed gradually, calling it "clear evidence that heavy machinery came in and scraped away the sediment." He added that the stream, previously shallow, had been dug to a depth of 2 meters as a result of the construction work, yet no warning signs were posted to prevent an accident.

However, the city of Seosan and the construction contractor have denied any connection to the accident. A city official said the section of the stream where the accident occurred had not been within the original scope of the construction work. A contractor official also said the company had only carried out stone-laying work on embankments in accordance with set guidelines and had never excavated the riverbed.


bbo@heraldcorp.com