All 6 Missing Persons in the Gwangju Collapse Accident Confirmed Dead, a Regrettable End

1 Person on Basement Level 1, Remaining 5 Undergoing Training on Floors 26-28

Additional Collapse and Layered Debris... Rescue Efforts Face Turbulence

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] 6. This is the number of deaths in the Hwajeong I-Park collapse accident in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. Despite the fire authorities' overnight search and rescue efforts, a regrettable conclusion was reached.

The tragedy dates back to the 11th of last month. At the apartment construction site being built by HDC Hyundai Development Company, the internal structures and exterior walls of 16 floors from the 23rd to the 38th floor of Building 201 collapsed all at once. As a result, contact was lost with six construction workers who were working on window installation and plastering on the 28th to 31st floors.

The rescue operation to save them was arduous. The risk of additional collapse of the tower crane and debris falling from the upper floors of the apartment created obstacles everywhere, prolonging the operation. The situation ended only on the 29th day after the accident when the last missing person was recovered.

The first missing person was found relatively quickly because they were buried in the lower floors, where precise searches were easier, rather than the upper floors where many sections were buried.

On the 3rd day after the accident, around 11:14 a.m. on the 13th of last month, the fire authorities confirmed one arm near the stair railing on the basement level 1. After securing an access route using heavy equipment, the body was recovered around 6:49 p.m. the following day.

It is presumed that the worker fell through the roof along with debris due to the collapse of the exterior wall and was buried near the railing, or the accident occurred while evacuating downward.

As the risk factors such as the tower crane and exterior walls were removed, precise searches that had been focused on the lower floors began moving to the upper floors from the 24th of last month, gaining momentum.

On the 4th day of the full-scale precise search of the upper floors, the second missing person was found on the 28th floor on the 27th of last month and was recovered at 6:02 p.m. on the 31st, 102 hours later. It took some time due to the large debris such as concrete slab structures piled up layer upon layer.

The third missing person took the longest time from the confirmation of the burial location to recovery. After being found on the 27th floor (Unit 2 master bedroom) on the 25th of last month, they returned to their family around 3:29 p.m. on the 4th of this month.

The fourth missing person was recovered on the 4th, and the fifth on the 7th.

The last missing person was recovered around 7:37 p.m. the previous day from the floor area near the master bedroom of Unit 2 on the 26th floor. The deceased, found at 4:20 p.m. on the 1st of this month, Lunar New Year's Day, returned to their family after a week.

During the month-long rescue operation, there were intermittent large and small unexpected incidents that caused temporary halts in the rescue work. On the 2nd, a 26-ton concrete pile fell, causing the rescue and search to be suspended for about a day for stabilization work.

For the accident response, the government operated a pan-government central accident response headquarters involving the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, while the fire department operated an integrated accident response headquarters.

At the site, a cumulative total of 4,857 officials from the Gwangju Fire Headquarters, 841 specialized rescue personnel mobilized nationwide, and 141 119 rescue dogs were deployed. To respond to this unprecedented disaster, advice was also received from 25 structural safety experts.

After the recovery of all missing persons, Fire Commissioner Lee Heung-gyo sent a message expressing condolences to the victims, offering comfort to the bereaved families, and conveying encouragement and gratitude to the dedicated rescue workers.

The victims' families have decided not to proceed with funeral arrangements until an apology and compensation are made by Hyundai Development Company, the apartment construction company.

Attention is also focused on whether social discussions to commemorate the victims of this accident will be actively promoted. Gwangju City, Seo-gu, and others plan to continue discussions to establish a joint memorial space for citizens.

With all six missing persons recovered, investigations to determine the cause of the accident and responsibility will now begin in earnest.

The police, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport immediately entered the site to secure evidence, and the National Forensic Service will conduct an on-site investigation.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop emphasized to the construction company Hyundai Development Company, "They must deeply reflect on causing the collapse accident due to poor construction, which resulted in citizens losing their lives and suffering damages," and strongly urged once again that the group make efforts for damage recovery and sufficient compensation at the group level."

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