'Dismantling of Tower Crane, a Risk Factor in the "Gwangju Apartment Collapse" Search, to Be Completed by the 21st'

Partial Disassembly of Counterweights and Turntables Planned

Forward Command Post Established in Preparation for Full-Scale Upper-Level Search

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The tower crane, which has become the biggest obstacle in the search and rescue operations as it leans against the collapsed outer wall of the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park building, is expected to be dismantled by the 21st.

According to the Accident Response Integrated Headquarters and Hyundai Development Company on the 19th, the tower crane dismantling work will begin on the 20th and is planned to be completed by the original target date of the 21st.

For stabilization work, wire reinforcement will be carried out starting in the afternoon of that day. Once the wire reinforcement is completed on the same day, the tower crane dismantling work will officially commence.

The work is set to proceed as a partial dismantling.

After the wire stabilization work, approximately 27 tons of weights called "weights" will be sequentially removed from the upper floors. Then, the turntable, which houses the control room in the middle, will be dismantled last.

The master part, which is the pillar connected from the first floor, will not be dismantled. Initially, the master on the upper floors was scheduled for dismantling, but it was judged that once the weights and extension rods on the turntable are dismantled, the master itself poses no risk of toppling.

Search efforts on the upper floors are also being intensified.

A forward command post has been set up on the 20th floor of the collapsed building. This is a preparatory measure to enter full-scale upper floor rescue operations after the building stabilization work is completed, based on expert opinions.

Search operations on the basement and first floor were fully completed the previous day. Now, the focus must shift to the upper floors, but the fire authorities cannot just wait idly until stabilization is complete, so they installed the forward command post in advance to deploy search personnel immediately after stabilization is finished.

The building is currently undergoing self-correction due to wind and concrete temperature differences causing contraction and expansion, and this is being closely monitored.

Hyundai Development Company is conducting measurements, and as of the 18th, a variation from minus 41 mm to plus 24 mm was observed, with the maximum minus 41 mm variation occurring on the 38th floor.

The building is regaining stability inwardly, reportedly narrowing the final variation to within 9 mm.

Since there are no clear standards on site, the behavior is continuously monitored within the internal management standard of plus 45 mm.

An anemometer has been installed on the roof floor of Building 201 to observe conditions. From the 20th, variation data and wind speed data will be comprehensively reviewed.

Meanwhile, on the afternoon of the 11th at 3:46 PM, the outer wall of floors 23 to 38 of Building 201 of Hwajeong-dong I-Park, under construction by Hyundai Development Company in Gwangju, collapsed. One person was lightly injured and transported to the hospital, and six people went missing. Among the missing, one person was found deceased near the basement first-floor stairs on the afternoon of the 14th, four days after the accident, and search operations continue for the other five.

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