1. Sampoong Department Store, Seoul, South Korea
Built: 1987-1989
Collapsed: 1995
Est. Damages: $364 Million*
Less than 6 years after its completion, cracks in the ceiling of the Sampoong Department Store’s 5th-floor had already begun to appear. On June 29, 1995, after being notified of the cracks in the building, due to fears of lost income the executives opted not to evacuate the customers, but they themselves thought it best to leave the complex.
Sampoong Department Store, Seoul, South Korea @Eurowon / Pinterest.com
A few hours later, the cracks got worse. It took no more than 20 seconds for the south wing’s support columns to collapse, trapping close to 2,000 shoppers under the rubble. 1,445 people were rescued from the nightmares, however, 502 others lost their lives that day as a result of the building management’s greed and negligence.