'Gwangju Apartment Collapse' Day 8 Search Operations Conducted on All Floors of the Building

206 Personnel from 8 Related Agencies, 49 Equipment Units, and 8 Rescue Dogs Deployed

Focused Search on Floors 22-28 for Rescue Dog Abnormal Reactions... Tower Crane Dismantling Also Underway

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] On the 8th day since the collapse accident of the newly constructed apartment in Hwajeong-dong, Gwangju, carried out by Hyundai Industrial Development, the search for missing persons continues throughout all floors of the building.

According to the Accident Response Integrated Headquarters on the 18th, the search for missing persons will proceed throughout the entire building, including the basement, along with the removal of remaining debris.

A total of 206 personnel from 8 related organizations, 49 pieces of equipment, and 8 rescue dogs are being deployed.

The upper floors are divided into two teams of 4 rescue dogs each, focusing on floors 22 to 28 where the dogs showed responses.

On the lower part of the basement 1st floor and ground 1st floor, the search continues using exploration equipment such as drones and endoscopic cameras along with debris removal.

Work is also underway to analyze videos by three-dimensionally filming the collapsed Building 201.

Additionally, preparations are being made to install an advanced command post on the 22nd floor, and access routes are being secured to ensure safety during the upper floor search.

To ensure the safety of the search and rescue teams, dismantling of the tower crane to prevent further collapse is also being carried out simultaneously.

Assembly of a 1,200-ton dismantling crane brought in for the tower crane dismantling is scheduled to be completed within the day. Including this crane, a total of five cranes will be operated to dismantle the tower crane.

However, expert meetings are ongoing to ensure safe dismantling, and it is reported that the dismantling completion originally planned for the 21st may be delayed.

Meanwhile, on the afternoon of the 11th at around 3:46 PM, the outer wall of floors 23 to 38 of Building 201 of Hwajeong-dong I-Park in Gwangju, constructed by Hyundai Industrial Development, collapsed.

As a result of this accident, one person was slightly injured and transported to the hospital, and six people went missing. Among the missing, one person was found deceased near the basement 1st floor stairs on the afternoon of the 14th, four days after the accident, and search operations continue to find the other five.