Number of victims of bus station fire in South Korea continues to rise

According to updated information, at least 7 people have died and 27 people were injured in a fire at Goyang bus station, northwest of Seoul, on the morning of May 26.

According to firefighters and medical staff present at the scene, the fire broke out at an underground construction site located in the above mentioned bus station at 9:10 a.m. the same day and was extinguished about 20 minutes later.

The scene of the fire. Source: Yonhap)

Those injured mainly due to inhalation of toxic smoke were taken to the nearest hospitals, of whom eight are currently in critical condition.

According to the fire department, the bodies of the deceased were found on the first underground floor of the construction site, but their identities have not yet been confirmed.

The fire also created a large column of black smoke and caused traffic congestion for nearly an hour in the surrounding area.

Firefighters provide information about the fire at the scene. (Source: Yonhap)

Local fire authorities are currently focusing on the hypothesis that the cause of the fire was sparks emitted while workers were welding at the construction site.

Goyang Bus Terminal is designed for about 250 buses, and also has a supermarket complex and a cinema.

A subway station on Line 3, which runs through Seoul and surrounding areas in Gyeonggi Province, is also near the scene of the fire.

At the time of the fire, subway trains were still running through the above station area, however, from 10:24, subway trains through the above area were temporarily stopped for safety inspection.

The National Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Center of South Korea has set up an emergency task force in central Seoul to respond to the fire amid concerns that the death toll could rise./.

According to VNA