ID :
193202
Wed, 07/06/2011 - 11:23
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/193202
The shortlink copeid
Thorough safety checks needed for TechnoMart
SEOUL, July 6 (Yonhap) -- Hundreds of people evacuated a high-rise shopping mall in Seoul Tuesday morning as it began shaking for unknown reasons. Between 300 and 500 people fled the 39-story TechnoMart mall in Seoul's eastern Gwangjin district after the upper part of the 189-meter-tall building began rocking up and down for about 10 minutes, the authorities said. There were about 3,000 people inside the building at around 10:10 a.m. when it began to move.
The authorities said any specific problems were not found by visually inspecting the building with a naked eye overnight, and they are conducting precise checks with various equipment.
The gigantic building has been used since 1998 and accommodates hundreds of retailers selling electronics, houseware products and books, as well as a multiplex and a number of commercial offices. The floating population reaches 60,000. The building was built with anti-quake designs and passed precise safety checks in 2008.
The company in charge of the management of the building said the shaking was considered to be a passing phenomenon.
However, it is a serious problem that the shaking was not a horizontal one commonly experienced in high-rise buildings but a vertical one. Experts say rocking up and down of a skyscraper usually occurs when there is serious damage to the base structures or columns that support the building.
The fact that the building was built on sand and reclaimed waste dumps along the Han River also causes concern. Some speculate that the ground surrounding the building may have been altered due to recent heavy downpours and might have caused the shaking.
Experts also excluded the possibility that an earthquake caused the incident since there were no signs of one.
What is more serious is that this is not the first time the skaking has happened.
We have bitter experiences caused by terrible man-made disasters in the past. The collapse of Sampoong Department Store in Seoul killed about 500 people and injured 900 on June 29, 1995. About 30 people lost their lives when a section of Seongsoo Bridge on the Han River collapsed in September 1994. Both of the disasters happened because of shoddy construction, poor inspections and the ignoring of warning signs.
In the case of Sampoong Department Store, cracks were found in the ceiling about a year before its collapse and soil fell from the cracks about a month before the building fell, but the management of the department store sat idly by.
In order to prevent the recurrence of such a disaster, there should be thorough safety checks of the TechnoMart building.
Authorities should also conduct safety checks on buildings built on weak foundations such as those near rivers and on buildings that are vulnerable to certain elements.
There is no use crying over spilt milk.
The authorities said any specific problems were not found by visually inspecting the building with a naked eye overnight, and they are conducting precise checks with various equipment.
The gigantic building has been used since 1998 and accommodates hundreds of retailers selling electronics, houseware products and books, as well as a multiplex and a number of commercial offices. The floating population reaches 60,000. The building was built with anti-quake designs and passed precise safety checks in 2008.
The company in charge of the management of the building said the shaking was considered to be a passing phenomenon.
However, it is a serious problem that the shaking was not a horizontal one commonly experienced in high-rise buildings but a vertical one. Experts say rocking up and down of a skyscraper usually occurs when there is serious damage to the base structures or columns that support the building.
The fact that the building was built on sand and reclaimed waste dumps along the Han River also causes concern. Some speculate that the ground surrounding the building may have been altered due to recent heavy downpours and might have caused the shaking.
Experts also excluded the possibility that an earthquake caused the incident since there were no signs of one.
What is more serious is that this is not the first time the skaking has happened.
We have bitter experiences caused by terrible man-made disasters in the past. The collapse of Sampoong Department Store in Seoul killed about 500 people and injured 900 on June 29, 1995. About 30 people lost their lives when a section of Seongsoo Bridge on the Han River collapsed in September 1994. Both of the disasters happened because of shoddy construction, poor inspections and the ignoring of warning signs.
In the case of Sampoong Department Store, cracks were found in the ceiling about a year before its collapse and soil fell from the cracks about a month before the building fell, but the management of the department store sat idly by.
In order to prevent the recurrence of such a disaster, there should be thorough safety checks of the TechnoMart building.
Authorities should also conduct safety checks on buildings built on weak foundations such as those near rivers and on buildings that are vulnerable to certain elements.
There is no use crying over spilt milk.
