Seoul: Police on Friday raided the offices of the Seoul city government, an engineering company, and other parties involved in the demolition of an overpass in western Seoul that partially collapsed earlier this week, resulting in fatalities and injuries.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the raids were conducted three days after a section of the Seosomun Overpass, which was undergoing demolition, collapsed. The tragic incident claimed the lives of three individuals and left three others injured. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is spearheading the investigation, executing searches and seizures at seven locations, including the city government's infrastructure headquarters and the contractors involved in the demolition work. This operation involves 33 police investigators and 20 workplace safety officials from the labor ministry, aiming to gather evidence to ascertain the precise cause of the collapse and identify those accountable for the accident.

The labor ministry has expressed its intent to verify whether safety protocols were adhered to at the site, committing to "strictly" enforce accountability if any breaches of workplace safety laws are discovered. The incident has prompted President Lee Jae Myung to call for a swift investigation and severe repercussions for those responsible for this and other recent safety-related incidents.

The overpass collapse occurred on Tuesday afternoon during an on-site safety inspection, which was conducted after demolition work was halted earlier in the morning due to indications of a slight shift in the structure. In the immediate aftermath of the collapse, police conducted a site inspection and have obtained security camera footage from the time of the accident.

In response, the city government has issued a statement affirming its cooperation with the police investigation and its dedication to uncovering the cause of the accident. The Seosomun Overpass, built in 1966, had been undergoing demolition since August due to safety concerns and was slated for complete removal by the following month.

Following the incident, the labor ministry granted approval for the city government to resume demolition activities on Thursday evening, with the intention of completing the work by early Saturday morning.