'Gwangju Apartment Collapse' Second Discoverer to Identify Identity Through Bloodstain DNA Test

Comparison with Missing Person Family's DNA... Test Results Take One Day

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is conducting a focused search on the 27th floor, where bloodstains and work clothes were found on the night of the 25th. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City Fire Safety Headquarters

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] DNA testing will be conducted on one additional worker found at the collapse site of Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

According to the Central Accident Response Headquarters (CARH) on the 27th, rescue authorities collected bloodstains embedded in concrete at 1:30 a.m. and requested the police to conduct DNA analysis.

Due to the debris being piled up layer upon layer, the rescue operation is expected to take more time, so this measure is to first identify the buried victim.

The genetic information will be compared with that collected from the families of the missing persons, and the test results are expected to take about one day.

The Families' Association of Collapse Victims also regards the discovered buried person as a victim and is awaiting the results.

On the 25th, CARH discovered body parts presumed to be of a missing person and work clothes stained with blood above the master bedroom of Unit 2 on the 27th floor of Building 201, whose outer wall had collapsed.

The point where the rescue team can enter and the location of the buried person is only 3.2 meters apart, but the rescue operation is facing difficulties due to large concrete debris and rebar tangled in layers.

Currently, various rescue methods are being attempted, such as using hydraulic concrete cutters and urban search equipment to drill through the sides of debris between the 26th and 28th floors around the discovery point to gain access.

Temporary supports have been installed from the 25th to the 38th floors to prevent additional collapse caused by vibrations or shockwaves generated during the rescue operations, such as breaking concrete debris and drilling holes in partition walls.

Stabilization work to prevent further outer wall collapse and the installation of construction lifts to transport rescue workers and equipment to the upper floors are also being carried out simultaneously.

On this day, 224 personnel, 49 pieces of equipment, 4 rescue dogs, and 4 unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) were deployed at the site.

The accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th when the outer walls of the 23rd to 38th floors of Building 201 collapsed at the apartment construction site.

As a result, one worker died and five went missing. They are presumed to have been responsible for window and fire-fighting equipment installation work on the 28th to 34th floors of the collapsed building.