Radius 79m Controlled... Rapid Response Team and Safety Health Team Operating
Yajeokjang Search Dogs and Drone Used for Internal Search Underway
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] At 8 a.m. on the 21st, dismantling work began on a tower crane at risk of a secondary collapse at the Hwajeong I-Park accident site in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.
A radius of 79 meters from the work site was designated as a danger zone, and an evacuation order was issued, resulting in a partial suspension of search operations.
According to the Accident Response Integrated Countermeasures Headquarters, which includes Gwangju City officials, the partial dismantling of the tower crane will be carried out for 10 hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the same day.
At the site, equipment including two 1200-ton mobile cranes and about 40 personnel from Hyundai Development Company were deployed, and the process will proceed in the order of leveling the front boom, raising the hook, lowering the weight, followed by dismantling the boom and the top head.
First, in the morning, using the 1200-ton crane No. 2, RCS form movement prevention fixing work and chain block work to prevent the detachment of the 8th stage bracing of the dismantling tower crane will be conducted. Simply put, this means fixing the crane to prevent it from toppling and ensuring stability.
In the afternoon, about 27 tons of counterweights on the master (main pillar) of the dismantling tower crane will be removed, and the upper parts such as the control room and boom (crane arm) will be separated and dismantled.
The evacuation order restricts access to all workers and residents within the radius except for crane operators and some control personnel.
The danger zone includes Hwajeong I-Park Complex 1 on the east side of the tower crane and the mixed-use apartment complex on the west side, where evacuation orders had already been issued. It also includes a vacant lot for new apartment construction to the south and part of the Gwangju General Bus Terminal parking lot to the north.
Within the designated area, observation and warning teams have been deployed to respond swiftly to falling debris, and for safety management, a rapid peer rescue team (5 members) and a safety and health team (22 members) are also operating.
In the yard where concrete debris and other materials are piled, precision searches are being conducted using search dogs to find missing persons or lost items, while indoors, two personnel are using three drones to carry out search operations.
The accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th when the exterior walls from the 23rd to the 38th floors of Building 201 collapsed at the apartment construction site.
As a result, one worker died and five went missing. It is presumed that they were responsible for window and fire-fighting equipment work on floors 28 to 34 of the collapsed building.
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