A 37-meter-high pile driver fell on residential buildings at a construction site in Ulsan on Wednesday, resulting in five residents being sent to a hospital.

The machine, used for pushing foundations into the ground, struck three residential buildings severely damaging their exteriors, after tipping over while moving in the apartment construction site, local media reported.

Three people aged over 60 and two in their 40s, including one pregnant woman, were sent to hospital after being rescued from the buildings, but no signs of severe injury were found, Ulsan Fire Department official said.

Shinsegae E&C, the operator of the construction site, will help residents of the damaged buildings with accommodation until their homes are shown to be safe, vowing to cooperate with the police investigation, the company told media.