Two workers installing safety railings on the balcony of an apartment building in Incheon have fallen to their deaths.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's metropolitan investigation unit on September 3, the head of a window installation company, A (68), and an employee, B (71), fell 18 meters to the ground from the balcony of the 6th floor of an apartment building in Jakjeon-dong, Gyeyang-gu, at 11:25 a.m. the previous day.

A and B, who sustained severe injuries in the accident, were transported to a hospital by 119 emergency medical services in a state of cardiac arrest, but ultimately died.

Police found that the accident occurred while A and B were using a rope to hoist a newly installed railing from the 1st floor to the 6th floor of the apartment after removing the old iron safety railing from the balcony.

Police believe that A and B fell simultaneously after failing to withstand the weight of the railing, and plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the accident.

The railing in question is over 3 meters wide, a size that cannot be transported via elevator. Police estimate that A and B did not use a high-altitude work vehicle (sky truck) in order to cut costs.

The company operated by A is a small business, and it was reported that he and employee B were relatives.

A police official stated, "We plan to request an autopsy of the bodies of A and B from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of death."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)