Record snowfall causes 50-year-old house to collapse in Seongnam, South Korea

In Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, a house nearly 50 years old collapsed. Roofs and vinyl greenhouses collapsed in various places due to the record heavy snowfall that fell in the metropolitan area.
Although there have been a number of collapse accidents, this is the first case of a house collapsing. However, a precise investigation is needed to determine whether the collapse was caused by the weight of snow that had accumulated on the roof.
According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters, a two-story house in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, collapsed at around 2:24 p.m. on the 29th.
The first floor of the collapsed building used to be a piano studio but is now vacant. The two residents living on the second floor were out and no lives were lost.
Prior to this, fire authorities were called to the scene after receiving a report that a crack was being heard coming from the building.
It was discovered that the staircase axis of the building was tilted to one side, and a sound of collapse was heard from inside. Fire department officials took control of the scene, checked whether there were people inside the building, and cut off the city gas supply.
Fire authorities evacuated six households (seven people) from nearby houses, as there was a possibility that debris from the destroyed building would fly into nearby homes.
The authorities will soon use excavators to remove the collapsed buildings.
The building where the accident occurred has a total floor area of 65 square meters, and it is understood that approval for use was granted in October 1976. Police and fire authorities are currently investigating the details of the accident.