On the morning of the 2nd, at the collapse site of Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju, concrete debris hanging at an angle fell to the ground, creating a cloud of dust. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A harrowing situation occurred again at the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park collapse site, where a 25-ton concrete structure collapsed. The internal search team detected abnormal signs three minutes before the accident, urgently evacuating nearby workers and preventing casualties.
On the 2nd, the Central Accident Response Headquarters announced in an emergency briefing, "At around 8:07 a.m. this morning, a large concrete structure hanging on the west outer wall of Building 201 of the Hwajeong I-Park collapse site fell."
The structure is estimated to weigh about 25 tons. The large chunk of the structure spanned 22 floors of the building, and some parts reportedly fell to the ground.
At the time, about 20 people, including 4 to 5 managers and rescue workers, were conducting search operations nearby. Fortunately, the internal search team detected abnormal signs before the large structure fell, preventing any casualties.
The fire authorities explained, "At around 8:01 a.m., the search team heard a cracking sound caused by wooden materials falling out from a gap created by the tilting large concrete structure. Three minutes later, at about 8:04 a.m., the search team radioed the safety personnel about the abnormal signs, and all internal workers evacuated to a safe area."
Earlier, to prevent additional collapse risks, the building structure was tied to the main apartment building with 30 strands of 8mm diameter wire, which also helped prevent a major accident.
The fire authorities stated, "Thanks to the wires, most of the structure fell inward, which seems to have prevented a major accident such as falling onto other buildings."
The cause of the structure's fall is still under investigation, but there is cautious speculation that it may have been influenced by heavy equipment deployed inside the building.
The fire authorities said, "The collapsed area is Line 1, but a small excavator was operating in Line 2. While the exact cause of the fall needs to be determined, there are concerns about the possibility of impact from heavy equipment."
Due to this accident, the building search operations have been temporarily suspended. To prepare for a secondary accident, the fire authorities plan to close the west passage where the large structure fell and deploy rescue workers and operators through the east passage.
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