A construction worker in his 70s, who fell from a building site in South Korea’s Busan and sustained severe injuries, died while being transported between hospitals in search of emergency surgery.

According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, 119 emergency services received a report at around 8:11am on Monday stating that a man in his 70s fell from the second floor to the first floor of a building under construction in Gijang county, Busan, while carrying construction materials.

The 119 paramedics arrived at the scene within 10 minutes of receiving the report and provided emergency care by stabilising the man’s back, which appeared to be fractured.

The paramedics then contacted eight regional emergency centres in Gijang county, Haeundae district, Busanjin district and Yangsan, South Gyeongsang province, to find a hospital that could admit the patient.

However, all eight centres declined, citing a lack of capacity to take in new patients. It was only on their ninth attempt, with Kosin University Gospel Hospital in Seo district, Busan, that they found a facility that could provide treatment, although not surgery.

The hospital was about 50km (31 miles) from the accident site. The paramedics drove for about 30 minutes and arrived at the hospital around 9:23am, roughly an hour and 10 minutes after the accident.

The emergency medical team at the hospital diagnosed a spinal fracture that could damage the lungs, indicating an urgent need for surgery.

However, due to a shortage of medical staff, particularly in the thoracic surgery department, the hospital was unable to perform the operation.

While providing basic life support, including intravenous fluids, the hospital continued searching for another facility capable of performing the surgery.

He eventually died at 12:24pm, about four hours after the accident.