[Provided by North Gyeongsang Province Fire Department]
[Provided by North Gyeongsang Province Fire Department]

Seventeen anglers were briefly stranded after a maritime pedestrian bridge in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, partially collapsed Tuesday, but all were rescued.

According to the North Gyeongsang Province Fire Department and the city of Pohang, the central pier and deck of Boritdolgyo gave way at around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, leaving 17 people stranded on the seaward section of the structure. Firefighters and civilian fishing vessels rescued all of them.

No casualties have been confirmed so far, though the central pier and deck remain collapsed.

Fire authorities are continuing underwater search operations to determine whether any additional victims are present.

A review of closed-circuit television footage showed no pedestrians were crossing the bridge at the time of the collapse.

Police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Pohang Mayor Park Yong-seon inspects rescue and safety operations at the site of the Boritdolgyo collapse Tuesday afternoon. [Provided by the city of Pohang]
Pohang Mayor Park Yong-seon inspects rescue and safety operations at the site of the Boritdolgyo collapse Tuesday afternoon. [Provided by the city of Pohang]

Meanwhile, the city of Pohang has cordoned off the area around the collapsed bridge to prevent secondary damage and moved to shut down similar structures for safety inspections.

Mayor Park Yong-seon directed officials to "take every precaution to ensure site safety so that no further casualties occur, thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident, and establish measures to prevent a recurrence."

The Janggilli Boritdol bridge is a 225-meter maritime walkway completed in December 2013. It received a "C" rating in a detailed safety inspection in 2024, after which the city carried out repair work on the deck and railings last year.


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