Railing gives way at 39-year-old building in Sasang-gu; one worker fell trying to catch the other

File photo of an air conditioner outdoor unit. Photo is unrelated to the article. [Herald DB]
File photo of an air conditioner outdoor unit. Photo is unrelated to the article. [Herald DB]

Two workers in their 40s died Tuesday after falling from the 11th floor of an apartment building in Busan's Sasang-gu while installing an air conditioner outdoor unit.

According to police, the accident occurred at around 12:22 p.m. on June 9 at a 39-year-old apartment complex in Sasang-gu. The two men were working on the outdoor unit when the building's railing gave way entirely, sending them over the edge.

One worker fell first, and the other grabbed for him in an attempt to hold on — only to fall with him.

Both men were rushed to a hospital in cardiac arrest but were pronounced dead.

A 2006 law revision requires outdoor units to be placed on balconies, but the building, constructed in 1987, predates the regulation and was not subject to it.

A police official told JTBC that the combined weight of the outdoor unit and the workers' bodies on the railing caused the entire structure to break off. "The one who fell first was the technician," the official said, "and the one who fell trying to catch him was the company owner."

The two men had been visiting the apartment of an elderly woman living alone when the accident occurred.


jshan@heraldcorp.com