“The ceiling is rumbling like waves…I thought I was going to die” The dizzying moment of the Daegu collapse

“The ceiling of the building collapsed on top of their heads like a wave from the inside, and people were so shocked that they ran out and there was chaos.”

During a promotional event for the sale of kitchen appliances in a commercial building in Buk-gu, Daegu, the ceiling material collapsed for unknown reasons, resulting in dozens of injuries.

Victims who were at the scene at the time reported the moment of the accident, saying, “It almost led to major casualties.”

The scene of a ceiling collapse accident at a commercial building in Gwaneum-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu on the morning of the 10th.

Person A, in his 70s, who was in the building at the time of the accident, recalled the moment of the accident and expressed his shock.

“Dozens of elderly people were inside the building when ceiling material started falling one after another on their heads,” he said.

According to eyewitnesses, the ceiling began to collapse one by one, starting from the side away from the entrance on the second floor of the building.

As the ceiling showed signs of collapsing, the elderly people at the scene began to quickly evacuate the building.

Mr. B (78), who was at the scene, remembered the moment of the accident, saying, "I was at the entrance, but I was so surprised when I saw the ceiling fall that I ran out. It took less than 10 seconds for the whole thing to collapse."

Mr. C (79) said, “I got black bruises when my right arm got caught in the collapsed ceiling,” and “I managed to crawl out by blocking the collapsed finishing material above my head with my hand.”

Mr. Lee (70) also said, "The ceiling collapsed and the inside of the building suddenly became dark, and I thought I was going to die. Other elderly people who attended the event were screaming and making an uproar."

Fortunately, it is said that some of the fallen ceiling finishing materials did not lead to further casualties as they ended up on desks and chairs.

A citizen who witnessed the accident scene said, “Elderly people poured out of the building with shocked expressions,” and “Afterwards, several ambulances arrived at the scene and it was chaos.”

The interior of the second floor of the four-story building where the accident occurred was in disarray as the ceiling finishing material had fallen off.

Materials that appeared to be steel frames and plasterboard had collapsed around the floor and fixtures, and gray concrete was exposed on the ceiling where the finishing materials had fallen off.

It is reported that some elderly people complained of injuries such as being hit on the head by ceiling finishing materials during the evacuation process.

Firefighting and police personnel were dispatched to the scene to check for additional casualties and control the surrounding area.

Earlier, at 10:16 am on this day, an accident occurred on the second floor of this building where part of the ceiling (finishing material or structure installed on the ceiling) collapsed.

At the time, a company was selling kitchenware and other items to the elderly on the second floor of the building, and 66 people on site were evacuated from the building when the accident occurred.

It was calculated that 38 people suffered minor injuries in the process. Of these, nine people were transported to the hospital.

It was determined that all injuries were not life-threatening.

The building where the accident occurred is a four-story building built in 1994, and the food ingredients mart operating on the first floor has ceased operations since the end of last month.

Related authorities, including fire and police, are investigating the exact cause of the accident after preserving the scene. The on-site inspection schedule is also being coordinated.

Buk-gu plans to conduct an on-site inspection of the entire building except the second floor, where the site is controlled, to determine the possibility of additional accidents.