Human Errors Revealed One After Another... Safety Buried

Collapse of Demolished Building in Gwangju... Overnight Search Finds No Additional Buried Victims
Experts Say "Accident Likely Caused by Disturbing Structure First"
Supervisor Absent at Scene During Accident... 9 Dead, 8 Seriously Injured

On the afternoon of the 9th, a building under demolition collapsed in Hakdong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, crushing a city bus. Nine bus passengers died and eight were seriously injured. Firefighters are using heavy equipment to pull out the bus, which was completely crushed under the building debris.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Jeong Dong-hoon] South Korea's safety has once again collapsed. The 'Gwangju Hakdong Building Collapse Accident,' which resulted in 17 casualties, is also confirmed to be a typical man-made disaster caused by safety negligence.

According to the police and fire authorities on the 10th, at around 4:22 PM the previous day, a five-story building under demolition in the redevelopment area of Hakdong, Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City collapsed, burying city bus number 54 that was stopped at a nearby bus stop. So far, 9 people have died and 8 have been seriously injured in this accident. The fire department conducted an overnight search at the site but found no additional buried victims. Accordingly, the fire department completed the removal of building debris using heavy equipment around 5 AM that day and is conducting a small-scale search to find any possible workers.

The accident occurred during the demolition process of the five-story building. Soil was piled up to a similar height next to the building, and an excavator was used to gradually break down the building structure. Then, the demolition workers heard a strange sound during the work, instinctively recognized it as the sound of the building collapsing, and hurriedly left the site.

Experts suggest that the accident may have occurred due to touching the structure during the demolition process. Professor Gong Ha-seong of the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Woosuk University said, "This demolition appears to have used the 'cutting method,' which is theoretically safer than the blasting method using explosives," but added, "There is a possibility that the accident happened because key structural elements such as columns were touched first during the demolition." This implies that the building was brought down due to rushing the work to speed up the demolition.

Professor Gong also pointed out, "There should have been a supervisor assigned during the building dismantling process, and the supervisor is responsible for establishing complete collapse prevention measures and traffic safety measures," adding, "Based on the current circumstances, it seems these were not properly implemented." In fact, even while demolition work was underway by the roadside, there was no control of the surrounding roads. The protective barriers installed around the construction site failed to serve their purpose and were swept away by the collapsed debris.

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, "Despite sending official letters four times to construction sites after the collapse accident in Gyelim-dong on April 4th, instructing thorough management and supervision, this accident occurred," and added, "The cause of the accident will be revealed by the joint investigation team, but it was a man-made disaster that should never have happened." It was also confirmed that there was no supervisor present at the site. Kwon Soon-ho, CEO of Hyundai Development Company, said, "The supervisory company is selected by the redevelopment association, and whether the supervisor is stationed on-site is determined early in the demolition plan, so the contract was made for non-resident supervision," and added, "It is understood that there was no supervisor present at the time of the accident."

Previously, in July 2019, a building under demolition in Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, collapsed, covering the road with debris, resulting in 1 death and 3 injuries. At that time, only dust-prevention barriers were installed, but no safety frames capable of supporting the building were set up, and the main structural element supporting the building?the stairs?was removed all at once, causing the tragedy. Earlier, in June 2018, a four-story building under demolition in Sindaebang-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, collapsed, injuring one worker. Despite the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport enacting the 'Building Management Act' to significantly strengthen safety regulations for demolition work due to repeated demolition accidents, similar accidents have occurred again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.