Debris Falling, Crane Dismantling Stop... 'Red Light' for Collapse Accident Search

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The search, which had been halted due to falling debris at the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park collapse site, has resumed.

According to the fire department on the 15th, around 4:30 a.m. that day, two fist-sized pieces of debris fell from the collapsed building.

Following this, an evacuation order was issued, and all search personnel were evacuated, but the search resumed around 5:20 a.m., about an hour later.

The search started at 8 a.m. that day, with 205 rescue workers, 42 pieces of equipment, and 8 rescue dogs deployed.

The 'tower crane dismantling' work, which was expected to invigorate the search, has been postponed from the 16th to the 21st due to safety concerns.

The Accident Response Integrated Headquarters held a briefing that morning and explained, "Based on the exercise of the work stoppage right and expert advice, the scheduled start time for the tower crane dismantling has been postponed."

The work stoppage right refers to the right of workers to stop work when an industrial accident occurs or there is a risk of one. It is stipulated by the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

As the start time for dismantling the tower crane is delayed, the full-scale search of the upper floors will inevitably be postponed.

On the afternoon of the 11th, around 3:46 p.m., at the Hwajeong I-Park new construction site, the exterior walls of building 201 from the 23rd to the 38th floors collapsed, resulting in the death of one worker and five others missing.

They are presumed to have been responsible for window installation and fire protection equipment work on the 28th to 34th floors of the collapsed building.