Missing South Korean worker rescued from collapsed building site, search continues for 5 others
- One of six workers who went missing after the partial collapse of a 39-storey apartment building under construction in Gwangju was located on Thursday
- All ongoing construction work in the city by HDC, the firm involved in Tuesday’s accident, was halted and the president ordered a probe into the cause of the mishap
Crews are trying to clear out the rubble to reach the man, but have yet to confirm whether he is alive or one of the missing workers, said Yoo Man-geun, a Gwangju city official.
The accident happened on Tuesday when the exterior wall between the 23rd and 38th floors of the 39-storey apartment building under construction in Hwajeong-dong fell apart, burying several workers in debris. Some of the labourers were rescued while six South Koreans went missing.
The city government later suspended all ongoing construction work in Gwangju by Hyundai Development Company (HDC), the company involved in the accident, and police stormed offices of three subcontractors as part of their investigation.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday ordered officials to probe the cause of the collapse and called for stronger safety measures to prevent similar accidents.
HDC – which has undertaken building ventures in countries including Malaysia, Vietnam and Bolivia – was also involved in an accident in Gwangju last June, when a five-storey building that was being demolished for a construction project collapsed and sent debris falling onto a bus, killing nine South Koreans on board and injuring eight others.