"Ran with All My Might"... Jeju Shopping Mall Ceiling Collapse

Premonitory Symptoms Starting About 20 Minutes Before the Incident
Fortunately, No Casualties Due to Prompt Evacuation

An incident occurred where the ceiling of a shopping mall in downtown Jeju Island collapsed, prompting merchants and visitors to evacuate urgently.

On the afternoon of the 4th, the gypsum board ceiling of a building collapsed at a commercial building in Yeondong, Jeju City.
[Photo by Jeju Fire Station]

According to the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters on the 5th, a report was received that the gypsum board installed on the ceiling of the first floor of a commercial building located in Yeon-dong, Jeju City, collapsed around 3 p.m. the previous day.

As a result of the fire authorities' on-site investigation, it was confirmed that about 330㎡ (100 pyeong) of gypsum board ceiling from 20 stores on the first floor of the shopping mall had fallen off.

According to merchants present at the scene at the time, there were signs before the report was made, such as powder flying from the ceiling and sounds coming from above.

Some people who felt something was wrong reportedly went upstairs to the second floor to check the condition of the building.

Ten merchants and others who were in the shopping mall at the time of the accident immediately evacuated, and there were no casualties. They either fled through the exits and emergency stairs or hid under beds right after the accident. However, some merchants reportedly suffered minor injuries such as sprained ankles during the escape process.

Those at the scene stated, "There was a sound like something being torn off, and the ceiling collapsed all at once." One merchant told JIBS Jeju Broadcasting, "It started with tapping sounds, and within less than a minute, everything fell down," adding, "We shouted for everyone to get out, and I ran with all my might."

The building was constructed in 1989 and received usage approval in 1992. It is a seven-story above-ground and four-story underground structure. The shopping mall reportedly underwent ceiling reinforcement work about seven years ago, and recently, air conditioning installation work was carried out on the ceiling.

The police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident based on statements that the old ceiling could not bear the weight and that the accident occurred near the area where the air conditioner was installed. Administrative authorities are also checking whether there was any negligence in safety management.

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