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Date: June 29, 1995 (Thurs.), at 17:55 p.m. |
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Casualties: 501 dead, 937 injured, 6 missing |
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Details of the accident: |
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One of the two wings of Sampoong Department Store, located at 1675-3 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul collapsed completely, all the way to the lowest underground level (the flat-slab constructed south wing, which consisted of five aboveground stories and four underground levels). It was a huge disaster that resulted in enormous casualties, including 501 dead, 937 injured, and 6 missing.
Lessons and Countermeasures
The Sampoong Department Store collapse was a result of faulty construction.
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As the effectiveness of the support columns and steel reinforcement beams had been reduced, stress was very likely generated. In addition, after construction was completed, the structure was subsequently changed and expanded without proper authorization and review. As such, the load far exceeded the allowable limit, and instability factors grew, including cracks in the structure.
Unacceptable construction practices were another cause of the buildings collapse, including mishandling of and blatant disregard for the construction permit system, building codes, and construction oversight system.
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| Factors that contributed to such significant loss of life were the failure to perform a proper and truthful analysis of the situation after early warning signs of the hazard, the failure of rapid assessment and decision-making on the part of management, the fact that the relevant authorities did not comprehend the situation, and the delay in issuing warnings or implementing a crisis management system. |
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Home > Disaster Reports > Structure Collapse > Sampoong Department Store
Information : Administrative Management Division / Woo So-Young /