1995 Daegu gas explosions

The 1995 Daegu gas explosions occurred at Daegu Metro Line 1, a construction site located in Sangin-dong, Daegu, South Korea, on April 28, 1995. At least 101 people, including 42 Yeongnam Middle School students, were killed with as many as 202 people injured.

Overview

The event occurred on April 28, 1995 at 7:52 a.m. in the underground construction site of the 2nd Section of the Sagley Subway Line 2 at Yeongnam High School in Sangin-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City. Construction work at the Daegu branch (대구점) of the Lotte Department Store in Buk-gu, Daegu, where 31 holes of 75 millimeter width that were going through a grout curtain were accidentally drilled through a city gas pipeline and resulted in gas leakages into the subway construction site through a nearby sewer, leading to the explosion triggered by an unknown fire at the site. The explosion created a 50-meter pillar of fire. The accident killed 101 people, including 42 students, and injured 202. The 400-meter-long private parking lot on the construction site collapsed, and 60 buildings and 152 cars were damaged and the damage reached 54 billion won.

Cause

* In case of underground excavation at a large construction site, it is necessary to contact the company that buried the gas pipe after inquiring about the position where the gas pipe is buried after obtaining permission from the relevant government office for road excavation. This was the reason for the incident.
* It was not until 30 minutes after the gas pipe was destroyed that it was reported to the city gas department and the damage was further increased.

Result

The damage caused by the accident occurred during the school day.
* 101 deaths (including 42 students at Yeongnam Middle School, 1 teacher, 2 police officers), 202 injured
* Damage to 152 vehicles, damage to 60 houses, damage to buildings, 346 cases

Aftermath

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which was set up to deal with the incident, discovered that it was an accident caused by negligence in the development of the Daegu Department Store, and arrested nine employees of the company on charges of business misconduct. Of course, excavator operation was also included.

This accident led to the necessity of computerized records for underground utilities, the criticism of the authorities on safety management administration, the increase of the voice of the government and the public on the improvement of the emergency rescue system and integrated structure system. A countermeasure mechanism was established centering on the revision of related laws such as city gas business law.
* Cause: Establishment of a special safety inspection team, early construction of a mapping system for underground materials, mandatory pre-consultation with a gas company in road excavation and occupancy, mandatory to carry gas detectors to detect gas leaks,
* Surveillance aspect: Unification of field command, reinforcement of rescue equipment, training of professional manpower, distribution to the city hospital after emergency hospital treatment, establishment of press center and systematic promotion measures, quick and accurate reporting of accident scene, etc.

Controversy

One housewife claimed to have reported the smell of gas four hours before the accident, but that night she said "I wanted to be on TV and lied".

Haksan Park Memorial Tower

There is a monument in Wolsung-dong, Haksan Park in Dalseo-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City.

The last official memorial service was held on the tenth anniversary, April 28, 2005. About 500 people including family members and citizens attended the ceremony and prayed for the victims' souls.

References

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Explosions in 1995
1995 in South Korea
1995 industrial disasters
History of Daegu
Gas explosions
Explosions in South Korea
Daegu Metro
Disasters in schools
April 1995 events in Asia