11 rescued from gym collapse

Rescue workers look for survivors in the debris at the construction site for a gymnasium in Sadang-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. Part of a roof collapsed, burying 11 workers. All the workers were safely rescued. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

All eleven workers buried under debris from a collapsed roof were rescued at the construction site of a Seoul gymnasium, firefighters said Wednesday.

The accident occurred at around 5:05 p.m. when part of the roof of the gym collapsed.

Two Daejeon-based companies ­ Art Construction and Sunrise Construction ­ have been in charge of building the gym in Sadang-dong, southern Seoul, since June 2013.

The workers were trapped for a little over an hour before they were rescued by the firefighters and sent to nearby hospitals.

A rescue worker said no one was seriously injured by the collapse, but a few of them appeared to have suffered minor leg injuries.

After being told of the accident, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon immediately rushed to the scene.

Firefighters earlier had said there were nine people buried under the debris, but they found two more victims during the rescue.

The construction was expected to be completed by the second half of the year.