Joint inspection set for tomorrow in Daegu commercial building ceiling collapse; 33-member police team to focus on structural defects and safety measures

[Financial News] Police will conduct a joint inspection on the 11th with the National Forensic Service and other agencies to determine the cause of an accident in which ceiling finishing materials fell in a commercial building in Buk-gu, Daegu, injuring 38 people. Structural defects and whether safety measures were implemented are key areas of investigation.
The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 10th that it had formed a dedicated 33-member investigation team in connection with the accident in which ceiling finishing materials fell in a commercial building in Gwaneum-dong, Buk-gu. The team, led by the head of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit, comprises 23 investigators, including personnel from the Serious Accidents Investigation Unit, six members of the Forensic Investigation Unit, two public relations officers and two members of the Victim Protection Team.
The joint inspection will take place at 9 a.m. on the 11th. Along with reviewing the inspection results, police plan to question people associated with the building and others to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
The accident occurred at around 10:16 a.m. that day when ceiling finishing materials collapsed on the second floor of a four-story commercial building in Gwaneum-dong. Around 60 people were evacuated in an emergency, and about 30 were injured; nine of them were taken to hospital.
At the time of the accident, a company was holding an event on the second floor to sell electric heating mats to older adults. Most of those attending were elderly, and the injured were also said to have been mostly in their 70s.
Initial reports during the emergency call said that the ceiling of a supermarket on the building’s first floor had collapsed, but it was confirmed that the actual accident occurred at an event venue on the second floor of the same building.

[email protected] Jeong Won-il Reporter