'Gwangju Collapse Accident' Day 12, a Site Full of Regret and Concern

"Please Come Back Alive"... Families of Missing Persons Pray with Folded Hands

Silently Watching Tower Crane Dismantling Work, Saying "It's Heartbreaking"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] It has been 12 days since the workers who went missing in the Hwajeong I-Park collapse accident in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City were separated from their families.

On the morning of the 22nd, many reporters who had been standing and waiting around the police line in front of the situation room where officials from Gwangju Metropolitan City and others were holding a meeting had left. Only 12 ladder chairs of unknown owners and one camera remained. Unlike the early days of the accident, the site now felt lonely.

Four people were sitting on chairs in the tent where the families of the missing gathered. Other family members reportedly scattered to watch the dismantling work of the tower crane.

On the previous day, when the dismantling work of the tower crane, which was leaning toward the apartment and posed a collapse risk, was carried out for the first time, Ahn Jeong-ho, the representative of the Victims' Families Council, went up to a nearby high-rise building and watched with a desperate heart, fearing it might collapse again.

On that day as well, Ahn came outside with a frustrated heart and looked at the building whose interior was exposed as if a huge object had scratched it, wearing a complicated expression.

He said, "As the search prolonged, so-called 'mental breakdown' came," and added, "The biggest concern is the secondary damage such as trauma that the remaining families will suffer."

Only the yellow ribbons with messages like 'Don't let go of the hand' hung on the wire fence near the accident site seemed to soothe the wounded hearts of the missing families. Passersby and citizens who came intentionally hung them one by one, hoping for the safe return of the missing.

At a stationery store that opened after the 79-meter evacuation order was lifted, a family member of a missing person picked up a ribbon tape that was relatively narrow in width but seemed to have enough space to write a message and paid for it.

He carefully wrote, "Praying earnestly for your safe return," and hung it on the wire fence, repeatedly saying with regret, "He was a good brother-in-law who never lost his temper or had any sharp edges..."

He added, "They quickly built the building when it was profitable, but seem to be dragging their feet on the search work. Judging by the work status, it seems they won't finish the dismantling work as scheduled in the morning."

It was felt that he was barely holding back his rising anger, saying he had been deceived by Hyundai Development Company more than once. Not wanting to show tears, he quickly turned his head away.

Hyundai Development Company, in charge of dismantling the tower crane, plans to complete about 70% of the dismantling work on the morning of that day and continue the debris removal work that had been temporarily halted. To this end, a total of three cranes were mobilized, including two 1,200-ton mobile cranes and one crane.

Meanwhile, the accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th at the apartment construction site when the exterior walls of the 23rd to 38th floors of Building 201 collapsed. As a result, one worker died and five went missing. They are presumed to have been in charge of window and fire-fighting equipment installation on the 28th to 34th floors of the collapsed building.