흔들리는 순간 땅이 '죽처럼'.."사람 죽이는 건 건물인데" / SBS 8뉴스

Anchor The reason the damage from this earthquake in Venezuela was so extensive is not solely due to two factors: the double shock of strong earthquakes occurring at 39-second intervals and the shallow epicenter of only 10 to 20 kilometers. First, areas with significant damage, such as the capital Caracas, are located in sedimentary basins with soft soil. These geological factors amplified the damage. Another problem was the large number of buildings constructed before the 1970s using non-ductile concrete, which is vulnerable to impact. Reporter Park Won-kyung explains in detail how these factors exacerbated the damage. Reporter The areas most severely affected by this earthquake are the coastal city of La Guaira and the Altamira region, located north of the capital Caracas and adjacent to mountains. They are each located approximately 160 kilometers from the epicenter. The characteristics of the soil, known as "alluvial soil," are cited as the reason why the damage in these two locations was greater than in areas closer to the epicenter. Alluvial soil is formed by the deposition of accumulated soil or sand, typically occurring near rivers, coastlines, or mountains. Normally, sand grains are tightly bound together, but when subjected to vibrations from an earthquake, these bonds break. Water seeps between the grains, causing the entire soil to soften—a phenomenon known as soil liquefaction—which is cited as the reason for the increased damage. [Kim Ki-beom / Professor, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Pusan ​​National University: (When soil liquefaction occurs) the ground that felt solid turns into something like soup or porridge. Furthermore, if buildings are built on such ground, the ground becomes completely liquid, making it impossible for them not to collapse.] It has been confirmed that there were no casualties among the approximately 120 Korean residents, and some suggest this is because the ground in the areas where many Koreans live is solid. The continued presence of many non-ductile concrete buildings constructed before the 1970s is also cited as a contributing factor to the increased damage. With sparsely installed rebar, when an earthquake occurs, instead of bending, the structure crumbles downwards and collapses layer upon layer. [William Jack / U.S. Geological Survey Geophysicist: It is not the shaking that kills people, but the building. And it is none other than the collapse of such buildings that causes tragic loss of life.] In particular, this type of pancake-shaped collapse virtually eliminates any space for people inside the building to survive and makes rescue operations difficult. (PD: Kim Do-kyun, Han Seung-ho; XR: Lee Jun-ho, Choi Jae-young; Video Editing: So Ji-hye) #SBSNews #News #Realtime Copyright Ⓒ SBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use for AI learning are prohibited.