GLASS SHATTERING ACCIDENTS

[Anchor Lead]

The gusty winds in Korea two days ago caused windows in a high-rise edifice in Busan to break. The broken glass falling from the 83rd floor of the building could have caused serious injuries. A similar accident occurred in the same building in October last year during a typhoon. Measures are urgently needed to prevent such accidents from recurring.

[Pkg]

On Monday, gusty winds of up to 18 meters per second blew in Haeundae, Busan. The footage shows trees, parking facilities and surveillance cameras shaking heavily in the wind. Moments later, construction workers show up and begin sweeping something. They are cleaning broken glass that fell from the 83rd floor of the LCT building, which is currently under construction. Several cars have been damaged by the broken glass. Glass fragments flew more than a hundred meters away from the construction site, reaching nearby parking lots, restaurants and even pedestrian walks.

[Soundbite] (WITNESS (VOICE MODIFIED)) : "Glass was falling down everywhere. There was enough of it to cause serious injuries. The glass was also thick."

The 28mm thick, sharp glass pieces could have caused deadly accidents. Last October, a similar accident occurred in the same building during a typhoon, when more than a thousand glass sheets were broken by the wind. According to POSCO, the construction company of the LCT building, the accident occurred when a gust of wind shook the in completed window panes on the 83rd floor. The administrative authorities of Haeundae-gu District confirmed the accident and issued an administrative guidance order to prevent additional damage.