Building collapse

At a collapse site, moving carelessly makes things worse.

If you are trapped

1. Tap rhythmically on something hard rather than shouting. Conserving your voice lets you last longer.
2. If you have a phone, call 119 and describe your position as best you can. Dim the screen and close apps to save battery.
3. Cover your nose and mouth with clothing to avoid inhaling dust.
4. Don't move unnecessarily. More debris can collapse.
5. Keep warm and wait for rescue.

If you are outside

• Never climb onto the debris. Secondary collapses bury rescuers too.
• Call 119 immediately and say how many people are where.
• Cut gas and electricity if you can.
• Follow the rescue team's instructions. Don't move debris yourself.

Warning signs

• Large cracks appearing suddenly in walls or columns
• Doors and windows suddenly not closing (a sign the building is warping)
• Floors tilting or sagging
• Cracking sounds, concrete dust falling

If you see even one, leave the building immediately and report to 119 and the management office or local government.

On a construction site

• You have the right to refuse work when you sense danger. See refuse-dangerous-work.
• Always process accidents as industrial accidents. 1588-0075.
• Missing safety measures can be reported to 1350.

Where to go

• 119 rescue and emergency (multilingual interpretation available)
• 112 danger
• 1588-0075 Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service
• 1350 Ministry of Employment and Labour (safety reports)
• Your apartment's management office or district office
• 1577-1366 · 1345 interpretation

Questions people ask

Cracks have appeared in my home. Photograph them and tell the management office, landlord and local government. If they widen suddenly, evacuate and call 119.

Will rescue take long? There is no way to know. Conserve your energy and battery and signal at regular intervals.

The dust makes breathing hard. Cover your nose and mouth with cloth and, if possible, turn your face toward cleaner air.

Someone nearby is injured. If you can move, do no more than apply pressure to bleeding, and don't try to move them. See bleeding.

Take care

Don't climb onto debris to search for people. Collapses happen in sequence. Passing accurate location information to the 119 rescue team helps far more.

Related

earthquake-emergency · first-aid-basics · bleeding · industrial-accident-report · call-119

Source

National Fire Agency www.nfa.go.kr / As of 2026-08