Search Operations Heading to Upper Floors in the Gwangju Collapse Incident

Installation of 'Forward Command Post' on 20th Floor of Collapsed Apartment

Stabilization of Tower Crane for Dismantling to Be Completed Tomorrow

On the afternoon of the 18th, Min Sung-woo, Head of Safety Management at HDC Hyundai Development Company, is giving a briefing at the site of the collapse accident during the construction of the Hyundai Development Company I-Park apartment in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters reporters Park Jin-hyung and Jo Hyung-joo] The search operation to find the missing persons in the collapse accident of the newly constructed apartment building being built by Hyundai Development Company is intensifying.

A forward command post has been set up on the upper floors of the collapsed building, where the possibility of burial of the five missing persons is high, which is expected to accelerate search and rescue activities.

On the 8th day after the accident, the afternoon of the 18th, according to the Gwangju Seo-gu Emergency Rescue Control Team (Moon Hee-jun, head of the Western Fire Station) and Hyundai Development Company, a forward command post is being established on the 20th floor of Building 201, which collapsed.

The forward command post is arranged as a warehouse to store rescue equipment and supplies, and a rest area for rescue team members working in shifts.

At the same time, the dismantling work of the tower crane, the biggest risk factor in the search operation, is also gaining momentum. The plan is to start full-scale dismantling work on the 20th and complete it by the 21st.

Before the dismantling work, reinforcing the wires to secure the tower crane leaning against the building is crucial.

Currently, an advisory group consisting of 12 experts in building structure and safety diagnosis has expressed that the current state of the tower crane is very unstable, and wire reinforcement work is underway.

Min Sung-woo, head of the Safety Management Office at Hyundai Development Company, stated, "With the tower crane wire reinforcement work, we have completed coring work on each building and are in the process of placing the wires onto the tower crane."

The wires are divided into upper and lower parts, with a total of eight being used, and this preliminary work is planned to be completed by tomorrow.

Once the wire reinforcement and stabilization work is completed, the first 1,200-ton mobile crane brought in for full-scale dismantling has been installed, and the second crane of the same scale is expected to be installed today.

The scope of the tower crane dismantling is currently under review.

Search operations resumed at 7:30 a.m. that day but yielded no significant results. It was reported that the rescue dogs showed only slight reactions again between the 22nd and 28th floors, where they had previously responded.

At the site, 206 rescue personnel, 8 rescue dogs, and 49 pieces of advanced equipment such as endoscopic cameras, thermal imaging cameras, and drones were deployed.

Meanwhile, as the search and rescue operations show signs of prolongation, the families of the missing are deeply distressed.

They met with Hyundai Development Company officials at 4 p.m. that day and complained, "They only tell the families, 'We are in a meeting. It is scheduled. Please wait. It is very difficult,' but we are anxious day by day."

They also said, "Today is the 8th day since the accident. Isn't it too long? We are not asking them to risk their lives, but please understand the feelings of us, the families of the missing." They added, "We hope no one else gets hurt, but we wish the advisory meetings would proceed a little faster."

The accident occurred around 3:46 p.m. on the 11th, when the exterior walls of the 23rd to 38th floors of Building 201 at the apartment construction site collapsed.

As a result, one worker died, and five went missing. It is presumed that they were responsible for window and fire-fighting equipment installation work on the 28th to 34th floors of the collapsed building.

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