Kukto Anjeon Gwalliwon Recommends Halting Rescue Operations
Rescue Authorities to Decide on Resumption After Ensuring Safety
On the afternoon of the 29th, a representative of the Victims' Families Council at the collapse site of Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju, inspected the debris piled up on the collapsed surfaces between the 26th and 28th floors, stating they would personally conduct the rescue of buried victims and search for the missing. Around 5 p.m. that day, when the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology judged that the ceiling on the 24th floor had dangerous cracks, causing the rescue and search operations to be temporarily suspended, the Families Council entered the accident site, determined to rescue their family members themselves. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Search efforts for victims buried in the collapse accident at Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju have been temporarily halted due to safety concerns.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 30th, at around 4:30 PM the previous day, the Korea Infrastructure Safety Corporation, while inspecting the safety of structures at the accident site, confirmed that cracks in the ceiling concrete slab on the 24th floor had expanded and recommended stopping the rescue operations.
Accordingly, the rescue authorities withdrew the search and rescue personnel from the site and temporarily suspended equipment-based operations.
Earlier, to speed up the work, the rescue authorities had deployed mini excavators on site and were clearing the layers of debris. The collapsed apartment building makes it difficult to deploy a large number of heavy machinery and personnel due to structural reasons, posing many challenges to the rescue operations.
Upon hearing the news of the work suspension, some families of the missing climbed to the upper floors of the building demanding that rescue activities continue, leading to disputes.
The Central Accident Response Headquarters first ordered emergency reinforcement of the affected area with support props. Following an expert advisory meeting at 11:30 PM the previous day, it was decided to install additional supports by 7 AM that day and then resume recovery and rescue activities.
They also planned to gradually reinforce supports on the lower floors of the 24th floor to enhance safety.
The Central Accident Response Headquarters explained, "We will continuously check the safety of structures on site and immediately take reinforcement measures if necessary, doing our best for a safe and swift accident response."
The rescue authorities found one missing person in debris on the 27th floor on the 25th and another on the 28th floor on the 27th, but due to concerns about further collapse, they have struggled to speed up the recovery operations.
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