2024-01-29 15:28:00
An ‘SOS’ sign made by Mr. A, in his 70s, who was trapped in a fire escape space of regarding 2 pyeong (approximately 2 pyeong) to ask for help. /National Police Agency Facebook
“It’s Incheon ○○ Apartment, and there’s a rope and a paper with ‘SOS’ written on it hanging on the exterior wall of the building across from me!”
Around 1pm on the 1st of last month. A report call was made to the Incheon Police Agency’s 112 General Security Situation Room. In a voice that sounded urgent, the worker immediately asked, “Please take some pictures of the scene and send them to me.” The photo that arrived showed a piece of paper hanging from the window of a high-rise apartment. As the reporter said, the word ‘SOS’ was clearly written on it.
The place where the commotion occurred was a high-rise apartment located in Dohwa-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon. At that time, seven police officers from the Dohwa District Unit headed to the scene following receiving a ‘Code 1’ order from the situation room to dispatch in the shortest possible time. After arriving, with the cooperation of the management office, we quickly began looking for the house that had requested ‘SOS’ rescue. Starting from the 15th floor, we rang the doorbell for each household, and thanks to the quick response of residents, we were able to move up to the 28th floor.
Meanwhile, the house came out without any response, and the police immediately identified the householder. He then contacted the homeowner’s son, obtained the password, and opened the front door. No matter how much I searched the master bedroom and bathroom, I mightn’t find even the slightest sign of popularity. However, I did not give up and as I searched the inside, a small sound came faintly from inside the kitchen. It was a narrow evacuation space of regarding 2 pyeong created in preparation for a fire.
“Here, here.”
When the police ripped off the handle and opened the door, Mr. A, a man in his 70s wearing underwear, was standing there. When the police officer asked if he was okay, Mr. A sighed in relief, saying, “I almost froze to death because it was so cold.” The story was like this. Mr. A entered the evacuation space for ventilation at around 5pm the previous day, but the door was locked and he was trapped for over 20 hours. He mightn’t even take his cell phone with him, so he had to endure the midwinter cold with his bare body.
I was devastated, but I mightn’t just give up forever. Mr. A saw the black box and knife nearby and decided to ask his neighbors for help. I scratched the black paper part of the box with a knife to create the letters ‘SOS’, connected them with a string, and hung them outside the window. She also turned the lighter on and off repeatedly to create a light. Thanks to a neighbor who did not pass by and reported this incident, Mr. A was found safely.
This story was introduced along with a photo on the National Police Agency’s Facebook page on the 29th and became known regarding two months later. A police officer who was dispatched at the time told Yonhap News, “When I received the order to dispatch, at first I thought someone was playing a prank. “This is the first time I have heard a report like this in 33 years of working,” he said. “A resident of the building across from me reported it following seeing the ‘SOS’ letters posted on the window of a high-rise apartment that was barely visible. “He was a young man, and I was really grateful,” he said.
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