A Frightening Construction Accident, Narrowly Avoided Disaster by 5 Minutes
In a dangerous accident occurring at the Yongin Indukwon-Dongtan double-track railway construction site, a large drilling machine crashed into the outer wall of an apartment. Fortunately, a child and a grandmother inside the affected apartment escaped disaster by 'just a 5-minute difference.'
On the evening of the 5th, the Gyeonggi Fire Service headquarters reported that at approximately 10:13 PM, a large drilling machine, which is construction equipment designed to bore through the ground, toppled toward the exterior wall of a nearby 15-story apartment building in Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
The drilling machine penetrated the apartment wall and entered the bedroom; however, fortunately, there were no casualties.
Immediately following the accident, the apartment management office swiftly conducted an evacuation announcement, and 156 residents safely evacuated the building. The demolition work of the drilling machine at the accident site was completed two days later.
Images released by YTN showing the accident site reveal shattered windows, collapsed walls, bent rebar, and concrete debris scattered everywhere around the drilling machine, which had penetrated the wall and crossed into the bedroom. The fact that no casualties occurred in such a chaotic scene feels almost miraculous.
The sight of the building debris that poured onto the child’s bed adds to the fright, and it has come to light that a child and a grandmother were in the area until just 5 minutes before the incident.
A horrific accident was narrowly avoided as the two had briefly moved to the living room when the drilling machine hit the room.
The child’s father commented, "My wife and daughter were on the bed doing origami and playing with dolls. Fortunately, my wife asked them to come out for coffee and fruit, so being out of the room turned out to be lucky."
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is investigating the exact cause of the accident in collaboration with the Korea Railway Corporation, the project owner, and plans to conduct a detailed safety inspection through a company selected by the residents.
A representative from DL Construction, the construction company, stated, "We are making efforts to communicate with the residents," adding that they will expedite the compensation process based on the residents' requirements.
Image source: News1, YTN
