Tower Crane Dismantling Enters Third Day... Upper-Level Search Delayed at Gwangju Apartment Collapse Site

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The detailed search of the upper floors of Hwajeong I-Park in Seo-gu, Gwangju, where the collapse accident occurred, is being delayed due to the postponement of the tower crane and formwork dismantling work.

Min Sung-woo, Head of Safety Management at HDC Hyundai Development Company, stated at the accident response integrated headquarters briefing on the morning of the 23rd, "We planned to complete the tower crane dismantling on the 21st, but it is delayed beyond expectations," adding, "The delay is due to ensuring worker safety." He further said, "We will complete the remaining tower crane and formwork dismantling work by today," and added, "We will also deploy three shifts of teams to clear debris inside the building to actively support the upper floor structure."

Hyundai Development Company, the contractor and equipment lessee of Hwajeong I-Park, is responsible for removing hazardous structures such as the tilted tower crane and the formwork hanging unstably on the 39th floor, the top floor, which pose risks to the search.

Moon Hee-jun, Chief of the Western Fire Station, explained, "Since the 22nd floor is also a place where rescue dogs showed abnormal reactions, rescue personnel are being deployed regardless of the completion of the tower crane dismantling."

The tower crane dismantling work was originally planned to take one day but has continued for three days due to various variables. During the dismantling process, the tower crane and the outer wall have separated due to shifts in the center of gravity. Accordingly, the search for missing persons, which was suspended on the 21st, has been focused on breaking and clearing concrete debris on the 22nd floor for two days since the previous day.

At the 27th floor, rescue personnel are also manually clearing debris, but they have not yet accessed the upper floor debris. The collapse occurred over 16 floors from the 23rd to the 38th floor. In previous searches, multiple rescue dogs repeatedly showed abnormal reactions around debris precariously hanging on the upper collapse surfaces on the 22nd, 26th, 27th, and 28th floors. It is highly likely that missing persons are in these areas.

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