A ceiling collapse occurred at a commercial building in Gwaneum-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu, on the morning of the 10th.

At the time of the accident, a company was selling kitchenware and other items to elderly people on the second floor of the building, and 66 people present at the scene evacuated outside following the accident.

In the process, 38 people were counted as having sustained minor injuries, of whom 9 were transported to the hospital.

It was reported that none of the injured individuals had life-threatening conditions.

A person in their 70s identified as A, who was inside the building when the accident occurred, stated, "Dozens of elderly people were inside the building when the ceiling finishing materials started pouring down over our heads one after another."

As signs of the ceiling collapsing appeared, the elderly people at the scene hurried to evacuate outside the building.

Fortunately, some of the fallen ceiling finishing materials caught on desks and chairs, preventing the incident from leading to greater casualties.

A citizen who witnessed the accident scene shared, "Elderly people poured out of the building with startled expressions," adding, "After that, several ambulances arrived at the scene and it was chaotic."The interior of the second floor of the four-story building where the accident occurred appeared in disarray as the ceiling finishing materials had fallen away.

Materials presumed to be steel frames and gypsum boards had collapsed onto the floor and around the furnishings, and gray concrete was exposed on the ceiling where the finishing materials had detached.

Some elderly people were reportedly complaining of injuries, such as being hit on the head by ceiling finishing materials during the evacuation process.

Fire and police personnel were dispatched to the scene to check for any additional casualties and cordon off the surrounding area.

At around 10:16 a.m. on this day, an accident occurred in which a portion of the ceiling joists on the second floor of this building collapsed.

The building where the accident occurred is a four-story structure above ground built in 1994, and the food mart that operated on the first floor had suspended operations since the end of last month.

Authorities, including fire and police departments, are investigating the exact cause of the accident after preserving the scene, and are also coordinating the schedule for an on-site forensic inspection.

(Photo: Yonhap News)