Ceiling Collapse at Daegu Market Injures 36 During Evacuation
Part of a ceiling collapsed at a grocery market in Daegu, prompting 66 people to evacuate. Authorities said 36 suffered minor injuries, including nine who were taken to hospitals, while no life-threatening injuries were reported.
A partial ceiling collapse at a grocery market in the southeastern city of Daegu injured 36 people on Saturday, emergency authorities said. Nine of those hurt were taken to hospitals, while officials reported that none of the injuries was life-threatening.
The incident occurred at about 10:16 a.m. at a food ingredients market in Gwaneum-dong, Buk District, according to the Daegu Fire Department and other authorities. Part of the market’s ceiling came down while customers were inside, triggering an urgent evacuation.
Officials said all 66 people who had been in the store were able to leave the building on their own. Thirty-six people sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. A fire official said people appeared to have been hurt after becoming startled and suffering scrapes from building debris as they moved out of the market.
Nine injured people had been transported to hospitals as of the authorities’ initial tally. The account did not identify the hospitals or provide individual details about the patients, but officials said all of the injured were out of life-threatening danger.
Emergency crews searched the market after customers had evacuated. The search found no additional casualties or other unusual circumstances, according to the fire authorities. The absence of anyone trapped inside allowed responders to conclude the immediate rescue operation without reporting further harm.
Police officers were deployed around the site to control traffic and secure the area while the emergency response continued. Authorities said they planned to investigate what caused the ceiling to give way after completing their search of the building. No preliminary cause had been announced at the time of the report.
The incident left investigators with several questions, including the condition of the ceiling before the collapse and whether structural or maintenance issues contributed. Authorities had not yet released findings on those matters. Their investigation is expected to focus on establishing the sequence of events and determining why the overhead structure failed during business hours.
The injury count reflects people hurt in the collapse and evacuation rather than fatalities or critical cases. Officials’ initial assessment emphasized that the injuries were minor, but the hospital transfers indicated that some of those affected required further medical evaluation. Police traffic controls and the planned cause investigation remained in place as the response shifted from rescue to examination of the scene.