The National Fire Agency held a situation assessment meeting at 9 a.m. on the 13th at the site of the Gwangju public library collapse, deciding to focus all efforts on searching and rescuing the last missing person. Of the four confirmed buried victims, two were rescued on the day of the collapse, and one more was rescued later, but all were confirmed dead.
The National Fire Agency is deploying all available firefighting resources to find the remaining missing person and is speeding up debris removal with heavy equipment as stabilization work at the site is completed. They are also using advanced firefighting equipment such as thermal imaging cameras and drones, along with various urban search equipment, to conduct search and rescue operations.
During the situation assessment meeting, they reviewed the search situation, focusing on removing PC beams and gradually approaching the expected burial point to rescue the last buried person. They emphasized ensuring the safety of rescue workers by using crane sensor equipment and deploying monitors to prevent further collapses.
As soon as entry becomes possible after removing structures, they plan to mobilize advanced search equipment capable of detecting human life, such as endoscopes, thermal imaging cameras, and rescue dogs, to search for the last buried person. The National Fire Agency is working closely with related ministries and agencies to ensure smooth site management and has committed to conducting rescue operations with the heart of a family member until the last moment.