Last Missing Worker Recovered on December 13
Search Operation Concludes After Three Days
Police Form Special Team, Raid Contractor’s Office and Prepare Forensic Investigation
Labor Office Investigates Applicability of Serious Accidents Punishment Act
All four workers who were buried in the collapse accident at the Gwangju Representative Library have been found dead. Rescue authorities concluded the search on the morning of December 13 after discovering the last missing person.
On the third day of the collapse accident at Gwangju Representative Library on the 13th, firefighters are moving the last buried victim to an ambulance at the accident site in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters, the last buried victim, identified as Mr. A in his 50s, was found at around 11:20 a.m. on December 13 at the accident site in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. He was rescued from the first basement floor at 12:31 p.m. but was pronounced dead at the scene. It was determined that Mr. A had been working on piping on the first basement floor at the time of the accident.
Earlier, at 1:03 a.m. on the same day, the third buried worker, Mr. B in his 60s, was found and recovered within 30 minutes. With this, the death toll was confirmed at four, including one person rescued immediately after the accident and three who had been missing.
On the morning of the 13th, the third day since the collapse accident at Gwangju Representative Library, rescue authorities are inspecting the site of the accident in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
The accident occurred at 1:58 p.m. on December 11. While pouring concrete equivalent to 30 ready-mix trucks on the rooftop (48 meters long and 20 meters wide) of the library, which was under construction with two basement and two above-ground floors, the upper structure collapsed. The collapse continued in a chain reaction down to the second basement floor. At the time, four subcontractor workers performing plastering, rebar, and piping work on the rooftop, ground, and basement floors respectively were buried under the debris.
The site where the workers were buried was tangled with concrete, rebar, and steel frames, making rescue operations extremely difficult. At the time, Ahn Kyunjae, Head of the Fire Prevention and Safety Division at Gwangju Western Fire Station, stated, "There are a lot of construction materials such as rebar and concrete, so we are having to cut through each one to carry out the rescue operations."
Collapse accident rescue operation map at the construction site of Gwangju Representative Library in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. The map indicates the locations where buried victims were found and the times of rescue.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency formed a special investigation team of 36 members immediately after the accident. On December 13, they conducted a search and seizure of the office of the contractor, Company A, securing construction-related documents and records of previous accidents. Based on these materials, the police plan to conduct a forensic investigation at the site to determine the exact cause of the collapse and identify those responsible.
The Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office also considered this accident as subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and dispatched investigators and labor inspectors to conduct a search and seizure of the main contractor's office. The labor office focused on securing materials to verify whether proper safety measures were implemented to prevent collapse risks, especially since a construction method without supports was used for pouring concrete.
An official from the labor office stated, "Based on the evidence obtained, we will check the work instructions between the main and subcontractors, work methods, and safety management systems. We will thoroughly investigate the structural causes of this accident, which resulted in multiple casualties, and hold those responsible strictly accountable."
On the afternoon of the 12th, the second day after the collapse accident at the construction site of the Gwangju Metropolitan Library, citizens are looking at the collapsed site of the Gwangju Metropolitan Library in Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
The city of Gwangju is constructing the Gwangju Representative Library on the site of the former Sangmu Incineration Plant (10,200 square meters). The public library, with a total floor area of 11,286 square meters and two basement and two above-ground floors, originally had a total project cost of 39.2 billion won, which increased to 51.6 billion won due to rising material costs. Construction began in September 2022, but was halted for about three months from June to September 2023 as the contractor, Hongjin Construction, faced financial difficulties due to a court-ordered asset seizure. The joint contractor, Gu-Il General Construction, resumed work on September 25, but the overall delay has pushed the expected completion date to April 2026. The current completion rate is 73%.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
