In less than 20 seconds, the 5-storey building was razed to the ground and collapsed layer by layer for four underground floors, eventually killing 502 South Korean citizens due to the collapse and injured 937 others to varying degrees.

On June 29, 1995, with a loud bang, South Korea's most famous Sanfeng Department Store collapsed. In less than 20 seconds, the 5-storey building was razed to the ground and collapsed layer by layer for four underground floors, eventually killing 502 South Korean citizens due to the collapse and injured 937 others to varying degrees. This collapse incident became an eternal pain in South Korea's history and also became the second worst building collapse accident in the world at that time.

Sanfeng Department Store was originally a landfill in Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea. With the continuous development, this land has become a prime location. In the early 1990s, this five-storey building appeared in front of Seoul citizens, attracting more than 40,000 local citizens on the first day of its opening alone. In the era at that time, this building can be said to be the pride of Koreans and became the most famous landmark in the country. No one would have thought that this proud building fell apart in less than 6 years, taking away hundreds of live lives.

This day, as usual, is nothing special. The employees of Sanfeng Department Store go to work at 8 o'clock and receive every customer who visits with a smile. After the facility manager arrived at the office, he found a note on the table, which read "A strange noise was made on the roof of the entire building in the early morning, and it was a bit unusual. Please send someone to check it."

who left the note, the facility manager didn't care at all, and threw the note into the trash can. The facility manager knew that when a large air conditioner was installed on the roof two years ago, cracks occurred on the roof, but this was not a big deal. It was just that someone was too nervous. At around

10 o'clock, the number of customers increased one after another. Employees of a restaurant on the 5th floor hurriedly found the facility manager and informed that there were huge cracks around a pillar and the floor had obvious sunkens. The facility manager realized that something was wrong. He made a quick decision to close the restaurant and asked someone to put obstacles and warning signs near the pillars. But he also warned the restaurant staff to shut up, there was no need to cause unnecessary panic. This was just a minor accident and could be handled soon.

11 o'clock, more and more customers came in to shop and eat. The customers shopping on the 4th floor responded to the waiter and heard a strange sound. After receiving the information, the facility manager conducted another investigation. At this time, someone began to feel the building shaking. The staff and customers began to get nervous, and the facility manager immediately broadcasted. He said on the radio: Please don’t be nervous, this is just a relationship of too many people walking around.

After hearing his words, many people began to relax their nervous mood. At 12 noon, the facility manager met with the maintenance staff. He believed that the vibration caused by the building should be related to the large air conditioner on the roof. He suggested turning off the air conditioner first and broadcast the air conditioner claimed that the air conditioner was malfunctioning and short-term repairs were required, and customers were asked to continue shopping.

But during this period, there were obvious cracks on the floor, the floor slab began to deform, the glassware made a strange noise, and some fixed glass counters cracked. Some timid employees and customers began to leave, but those who were bold did not agree with it and still did what they should do.

At 4 pm, the frustrated facility manager began to report what happened here to the headquarters. A structural architect suggested that everyone leave and then conduct a comprehensive inspection. But it was rejected by President Sanfeng. They believed that if customers were allowed to leave, they would lose a lot of turnover. The facility manager then broadcast again, telling everyone not to panic, and said that the maintenance staff had started repairs and could fix all the problems soon.

At 5:22 pm, a loud noise was made on the 5th floor, and a pillar suddenly broke, and the entire building shook with the sky and the earth. In less than 20 seconds, the entire building was like a broken can, instantly falling into the ground. The pedestrians on the street were simply incredible. The tall building fell down in front of them in an instant, and the picture was so much like the plot of the movie. Passers-by rushed towards the rubble and tried to rescue the survivors as much as possible. Despite the rapid rescue, the accident still killed more than 502 people and injured 937 people, making it the worst casualties in South Korea's history in non-war period.

17 days later, when Seoul citizens held a memorial service for the deceased, someone actually found the survivor in the underground ruins. This has to be said to be a miracle in the disaster. The survivor is Seoul Grand Secretary Park Seung-hyun. She did not have hope of survival, but she finally survived with strong perseverance and lived for 17 days by eating cardboard and rainwater. There was a woman in her 40s who encouraged her not far from her, but unfortunately, the woman passed away when she was 15 days old. If she persisted for another two days, the woman could also be rescued.

After the disaster, the facility manager survived, but he had no face to face the Korean citizens. After explaining all the experiences, he chose to apologize for his death. Li Zun, president of Sanfeng Department Store, was sentenced to only 10 and a half years in prison, and then reduced his sentence to 7 years, and the disaster came to an end.