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| A three-story kindergarten building leans perilously after earth in the neighboring construction site gave away in the middle of Thursday night in Sangdo-dong, southern Seoul. Yonhap |
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| The three-story kindergarten building will have to be demolished. Yonhap |
By Oh Young-jin
A three-story kindergarten building in Sangdo-dong, just south of the Han River in Seoul, leaned perilously in the middle of Thursday night as earth at a neighboring construction site gave away.
A 119 emergency report was received at 11:22 p.m. and personnel arrived soon after to evacuate residents. No one was injured.
Emergency personnel found the building leaning 10 degrees. It will have to be demolished.
The Dongjak ward office has set up a temporary shelter for residents who evacuated.
Police said the retaining wall ― 20 meters high and 50 meters wide ― was incomplete and about 80 percent of the structure has been destroyed.
The authorities believe part of the ground on which the kindergarten stands suddenly subsided and crumbled into the construction site, causing the tilting.
Police said they will continue efforts to find out the exact cause of the collapse.
Experts who made preliminary examinations of the scene said the building is irreparable and should be torn down. They were yet cautious to draw any definitive conclusion on the cause of the accident, although many of them cited that recent downpours may have affected the area.
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| Residents are evacuated from the building. Yonhap |
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| Residents look at the building that threatens to collapse at any moment. Yonhap |
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| A fireman briefs residents and reporters. Yonhap |
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