Prosecutors Fail to Implement Traffic Control in Anticipated Flooding... Access Control System Also Left Broken
On July 30, 2020, police and officials from the National Forensic Service conducted an on-site detailed inspection at Choryang No.1 Underpass in Dong-gu, Busan, to determine the cause of the underpass flooding due to heavy rain a week earlier. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Eleven people, including the Deputy Mayor of Busan Dong-gu Office, have been indicted on charges of professional negligence resulting in death in connection with the Choryang Underpass disaster in Dong-gu, Busan, where three people died after being submerged by heavy rain in July last year.
The prosecution viewed the underpass disaster as caused by negligence of public officials rather than a natural disaster. However, no responsibility was assigned to the then Busan Deputy Mayor and the head of the Dong-gu Office in charge.
On the 15th, the Busan District Prosecutors' Office announced that one public official responsible for overall safety management and disaster response at Busan Dong-gu Office was arrested and indicted, while ten others, including the Deputy Mayor, were indicted without detention.
The Busan District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Despite the expected flooding situation, no measures according to the disaster response plan, such as deploying on-site personnel, traffic control, or expanding emergency duty, were taken at all."
They explained the reason for the indictment as "a man-made disaster caused by the negligence of the responsible public officials, including leaving the flood control access system broken and unattended."
According to the Busan District Prosecutors' Office, a heavy rain advisory was issued for the Busan area from 2 p.m. on July 23, 2020, and a heavy rain warning was issued at 8 p.m. that day.
Afterwards, at 9:30 p.m., the water level in the Choryang Underpass reached 43 cm, but the access control system blocking entry to the underpass did not operate. The access control system is designed to activate automatically when the underpass is flooded over 30 cm.
Vehicles unaware that water was rising in the Choryang Underpass entered the underpass, and the responsible public officials took no action, resulting in the accident, according to the investigation by the Busan District Prosecutors' Office.
The Busan District Prosecutors' Office stated, "Despite the heavy rain warning being in effect, the Dong-gu Office leadership and field personnel did not monitor the CCTV," and "They took no measures such as traffic control or displaying entry prohibition signs, leaving victims to enter the flooded Choryang Underpass."
Former Acting Mayor of Busan Byun Sung-wan and Choi Young-wook, head of Busan Dong-gu Office, were not prosecuted as it was difficult to view their actions as dereliction of duty. Additionally, four firefighters and four police officers who were dispatched to the scene were also not prosecuted, as it was difficult to recognize negligence in their rescue failure.
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