Search resumes for missing workers at Gwangju construction accident site

A search resumed Wednesday for the six workers who went missing after the collapse of a facade of a high-rise apartment building under construction in the southwestern city of Gwangju a day earlier.

Six sniffer dogs and their handlers were let into the accident site to search for the victims shortly before noon after a safety inspection.

Exterior walls of the apartment building under construction in western Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, crumbled a day earlier, trapping construction workers nearby.

Three workers were rescued in the initial search operation, with one of them sustaining injuries from falling rubble.

Six who were working on upper floors of the building, however, remain unaccounted for.

Search efforts at the collapse site had been temporarily suspended Tuesday night due to safety concerns over possible further disintegration of the building or the potential collapse of a tower crane adjoining the building.

Mobilizing safety specialists and two drones, city authorities conducted a safety inspection in the area and gave a safety clearance for rescuers to resume operations earlier in the morning.

Authorities are planning to send an additional team of rescuers into the building soon.

The city government of Gwangju ordered the suspension of all ongoing construction work by HDC Hyundai Development Co., the main contractor of the construction project, within the city as it plans to open a probe into the cause of the deadly accident and those responsible.

City officials also pledged to make all possible administrative efforts to find the missing workers.