Ceiling Collapse at Lotte Department Store Centum City Food Hall in Busan Forces Emergency Evacuation of Over 150 People

At around 3:00 p.m. on May 31, a section of the ceiling in the food hall of Lotte Department Store near Haeundae, Busan, collapsed, prompting the emergency evacuation of more than 150 people, including customers and staff. No casualties have been reported as of now.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a citizen reported the ceiling collapse at the food hall on the first basement level of Lotte Department Store Centum City in Haeundae District, Busan, to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters. The collapsed section of the ceiling was reportedly about 4 meters wide and 3 meters long.

Finishing materials fell from the collapsed ceiling, and water poured down forcefully as internal facilities were exposed. The floor was left soaked with water. The department store explained that a leak related to the chilled water piping caused part of the ceiling to collapse.

Immediately after the accident, the department store implemented safety measures at the site and closed operations early, about an hour after the incident. However, there were complaints from weekend shoppers, as the reason for the early closure was not properly communicated at the scene.

A Lotte Department Store representative stated, "It is presumed that the accident occurred due to a chilled water pipe becoming detached," and added, "We are conducting a safety inspection and investigating the exact cause of the accident."

Meanwhile, Lotte Department Store also pursued the sale of its Centum City branch in Busan around the end of 2024.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.