At Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, a 60-year-old male worker died when a pile of earth collapsed during an old sewage pipe replacement project.
According to the police and fire authorities on June 13, a report was received at around 1:02 p.m. that two workers affiliated with the apartment management office had been buried by a pile of earth at the sewage pipe installation site within the Eunma Apartment complex.
The fire authorities conducted rescue operations for about 40 minutes and transported the workers to a nearby hospital. However, the 60-year-old male worker, who was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest, died at around 2:30 p.m. The other worker, a man in his 50s, sustained minor injuries and was transferred to an orthopedic clinic for treatment.
The accident reportedly occurred while the workers were in a pit burying the sewage pipe, when the soil that had been piled up nearby collapsed and buried them.
The police are investigating whether safety regulations were followed at the site and are considering charging those responsible for the project with occupational negligence resulting in death. The Ministry of Employment and Labor is also investigating possible violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
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