Ceiling finishing materials at an event venue for the elderly collapsed for 10 seconds… 38 injured (overall 3 steps)

9 people transported to hospital, no serious injuries... “You can hear rats running on the ceiling and the finishing materials rumbling.”

The second floor of the building where the accident occurred was left vacant for a while, but operations resumed... Police plan joint investigation

(Daegu = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Hyun-tae, Kim Seon-hyung, and Hwang Soo-bin = While a promotional event was being held to sell kitchenware and other products to the elderly at a commercial building in Daegu, part of the ceiling finishing material collapsed, injuring 38 people.

According to the Daegu Fire Department and Daegu Buk-gu Office on the 10th, the entire ceiling (finishing material or structure installed on the ceiling) fell down from the second floor of a four-story building in Gwaneum-dong, Buk-gu at around 10:16 am.

It is reported that the accident occurred when the finishing materials of a certain part of the ceiling first fell off and then the finishing materials of other parts fell down one after another for about 10 seconds.

This place had been left vacant for a while since March of last year, but it was found that a company resumed operation on the 3rd through a usage contract.

For this reason, at the time of the accident, an event was being held on the second floor of the building where the company was selling kitchenware, etc. to the elderly, and 66 people at the 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 none of the injured were life-threatening, but some elderly people were reported to have complained of dizziness.

A fire official said, "It is understood that citizens were injured, including being scratched by the rubble of the building while evacuating in shock."

A police official said, "It was discovered that mats, pots, health foods, rice, coffee, etc. were being sold at the accident site."

Event attendees who met at the accident site that day vividly conveyed the urgent situation at the time.

Mr. A, in his 70s, said, “Dozens of elderly people were inside the building, and ceiling finishing materials started pouring down one after another from their heads.”

Ms. B, a woman in her 70s, said, "I heard the sound of a rat running on the ceiling, and the finishing material crashed down like a wave. I was at the entrance with a friend, and I was so surprised when I saw the ceiling fall that I ran out."

Immediately after the accident, fire authorities deployed 60 personnel and 14 pieces of equipment to search the scene and take safety measures, and no additional casualties were found.

The building where the accident occurred is a four-story reinforced concrete structure built in 1994, and the food ingredients mart operating on the first floor has been closed since the end of September.

Authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the collapse of the ceiling finishing material and the circumstances of the accident.

To this end, the police plan to coordinate a schedule with the National Institute of Forensic Science and conduct a joint on-site inspection within the next week.

In addition, we plan to launch an investigation against the building owner to review whether charges such as professional negligence and malpractice can be applied to this accident.

In addition, we are also considering forming a dedicated team to determine the cause of the accident.

Buk-gu, the local government in charge, also plans to take follow-up measures for the accident, such as inspecting the building site together with the police and fire department.

The accident building has a total floor area of ​​892㎡ and is not subject to statutory regular safety inspection obligations, raising concerns about blind spots in safety management in old buildings.

Experts pointed out that in the case of small-scale buildings, there is a lack of enforcement of structural safety inspections, and that safety education and management systems for building owners need to be strengthened.

Lee Geun-soo, head of Buk-gu District Office, said, “It is unfortunate that the ceiling finishing material fell off during a promotional event,” and added, “We will do our best to resolve the accident together with related organizations such as the police and fire department.”