(LEAD) Six missing after facade of apartment building under construction collapses

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with six workers being unaccounted for)

GWANGJU, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- Six workers were unaccounted for after a facade of a high-rise apartment building under construction in the southwestern city of Gwangju collapsed Tuesday, police said.

At least one person was injured and about 10 vehicles were buried under the rubble.

A total of 394 people were working at the scene of the accident, but six of them were unaccounted for, although their mobile phones received network signal near the scene, police said.

The exterior wall of the apartment building crumbled down at the construction site in western Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 3:46 p.m., police said.

Three people trapped in a container were rescued, and one of them was taken to a hospital for injuries.

Rescue workers temporarily stopped searching the rubble for any other victims due to concerns that remains of the facade and a tower crane could collapse. On Wednesday, they will decide whether to resume the search after conducting safety checks.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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