Rumours suggest demolition workers had evacuated before fatal collapse.
Police have launched an investigation into the building collapse in Gwangju that left nine people dead. They have also conducted a forensic examination of the scene in a bid to uncover the exact cause of the collapse.
The five-story building collapsed during demolition yesterday, leaving nine people dead and eight others seriously injured. Those injured, who were mostly in their 60s and 70s, were taken to nearby hospitals. The 17 victims included the driver and passengers of a bus that was at a bus stop in front of the building at the time of the collapse.
“Our investigation will focus on whether the construction workers had been abiding by safety rules when demolishing the building and whether the demolition was being carried out in accordance with due procedures,” a police officer said.
But with the investigation barely underway, public anger is growing. Police believe demolition workers may have evacuated the site minutes before the collapse after detecting some signs of instability.
Furthermore, HDC Hyundai Development Company, the contractor responsible for the redevelopment project, had not asked the local government in Gwangju to move the bus stop temporarily to a safer location during the demolition process.
