Police said Wednesday their investigation into a crane collision that killed six people and injured 25 others at Samsung Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, on Monday, is honing in on the possibility of a signal error as the cause of the incident.
According to investigators, police are currently focusing on whether the crane collision was caused due to an error with the start/stop signals that resulted in a miscommunication between the crane operators, adding that there is currently no pursuit of criminal charges.
Park Dae-young, president and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, visits Paik Hospital funeral hall Tuesday night to offer his apologies to the families of those killed in the shipyard crane collision in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. (Yonhap)
However, the investigators also said they cannot rule out the possibility of other factors and are checking the shipyard’s surveillance footage and work logs to ensure Samsung Heavy Industries complied with all safety regulations. The possibility of other crane mechanical defects is also being investigated.
The bodies of the six workers who died Monday were returned to their families Wednesday. However it was reported that some of the families are refusing to proceed with traditional funeral arrangements until they receive a genuine apology from the company.
According to news reports, Park Dae-young, president and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, visited the Paik Hospital funeral hall Tuesday night to offer his apologies. However, the CEO purportedly only stayed and apologized to two families of the six before leaving, sparking anger among some of the bereaved.
By Julie Jackson (
juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)