A fire swept through a South Korean hospice for elderly and infirm patients early Wednesday, killing 21 people in what police suspect was an act of arson by an 81-year-old suffering from dementia.
The high death toll is likely to fuel an already intense debate over safety standards in South Korea, which is still reeling from last month's ferry disaster that left some 300 dead -- most of them schoolchildren.
It was the second deadly fire in two days after seven people were killed in a blaze at a bus terminal near Seoul on Monday.
Most of Wednesday's victims died from asphyxiation, rescue officials said, as the fire on the upper floor of the three-storey facility filled the rooms and corridors with toxic clouds of choking smoke.
Another seven people were injured, six of whom were in critical condition from smoke inhalation.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight at the hospice in Jangseong county about 190 miles (300 kilometres) south of Seoul.
The facility cared for almost 80 chronically ill, often bedridden patients, including stroke victims and advanced Alzheimer's sufferers.
Local police chief Roh Kyoo-Ho said an 81-year-old male patient with dementia had been taken into custody after CCTV footage showed him entering a storage room where the fire was believed to have started.
"We are focusing on the possibility of arson," Roh said, while adding that the man, identified only as Kim, had denied any involvement.
"We found a cigarette lighter at the scene and forensic experts are examining it," he added.
Although the blaze was brought under control within 30 minutes, the physical condition of many patients on the upper floor meant they were unable to evacuate before being overcome by the smoke.
One of three nurses on duty died as she tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher.
'Questions over safety'
South Korea is still in mourning over the April 16 sinking of the 6,825-tonne Sewol ferry, which caused many to question whether rapid economic development had come at the expense of basic safety standards.
There will be questions over whether the Jangseong hospice was properly staffed, given the relative immobility of the patients, and whether fire safety procedures were up to scratch.
Its chief administrator Lee Hyung-Seok knelt on the ground in front of press cameras outside the facility and touched his forehead to the ground in a display of contrition.
"I'm sorry. I apologise for this terrible thing," Lee said.
In the wake of the Sewol disaster, President Park Geun-Hye vowed harsh penalties for any acts of criminal negligence that resulted in fatal accidents.
Investigations have suggested the Sewol tragedy was almost wholly man-made: the result of cut corners, regulatory violations, poor safety training and a woeful lack of oversight -- all, or nearly all, attributable to a desire to maximise profits.
Park has ordered a radical overhaul of national safety procedures, including dismantling the coastguard whose response to the ferry disaster was widely criticised.
The patients killed in Wednesday's fire were among 34 people in wards on the upper floor, only seven of whom managed to escape the fire by themselves.
Both hospital staff and firefighters denied initial reports that some of the patients had been tied to their beds.
South Korea has a rapidly ageing population and the number of nursing homes and other facilities catering to the elderly has doubled to nearly 1,300 from just 690 in 2008.
AFP
Wed May 28 2014
![S. Korea hospice fire kills 21, patient arson suspected S. Korea hospice fire kills 21, patient arson suspected](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2014-05/41401272765_295x200.jpg)
The interior of a hospice after a fire ravaged part of the facility in Jangseong on May 28, 2014. -AFP PHOTO/YONHAP
![Ahli Parlimen Machang mungkin digantung 6 bulan Ahli Parlimen Machang mungkin digantung 6 bulan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-01/81705870474_WanAhmadFayhsalP.jpg)
Ahli Parlimen Machang mungkin digantung 6 bulan
Ahli Parlimen Machang, Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal berkemungkinan bakal digantung daripada menghadiri sidang Dewan Rakyat selama enam bulan.
Chelsea siasat laungan perkauman Enzo terhadap Perancis
Kelab bola sepak Chelase pada Rabu mengumumkan prosedur tatatertib ke atas pemain tengah mereka, Enzo Fernandez, susulan dakwaan telah mengeluarkan laungan bersifat perkauman terhadap Colombia, selepas memenangi Piala Copa America 2024 bersama skuad Argentina.
Lebih daripada 60 kanak-kanak ditahan, dipukul, diseksa di El Salvador
Lebih 60 kanak-kanak di El Salvador ditahan, diseksa dan dipukul secara rambang semenjak kerajaan mengisytiharkan darurat lebih dua tahun lalu untuk membanteras amalan gangsterime.
Datuk Bandar Paris berenang, yakin sungai Seine bersih
Datuk Bandar Paris, Anne Hidalgo berenang di Sungai Seine menjelang acara olimpik sebagai usaha menyakinkan orang ramai bahawa kualiti sungai tersebut cukup bersih dan bersedia untuk digunakan.
Biden akan tarik diri jika doktor dedahkan ada masalah kesihatan
Presiden Amerika Syarikat Joe Biden berkata beliau akan menarik diri daripada Pilihan Raya Presiden jika doktor mendedahkan beliau mempunyai masalah kesihatan.
Wanita racun lima orang kemudian bunuh diri
Seorang wanita berusia 56 tahun dipercayai meracuni lima pelancong Vietnam dengan sianida yang dihidangkan dalam cawan kemudian meminum racun itu sendiri di sebuah hotel mewah di Bangkok, menurut polis pada Rabu.
Sarawak tarik pelaburan RM4.2 bilion
Sarawak berjaya menarik RM4.2 bilion dalam pelaburan yang diluluskan pada suku pertama 2024, bahagian penting dalam Agenda Pertumbuhan Negara berikutan pelancaran Pelan Induk Perindustrian Baharu (NIMP) 2030.
RUU Perubatan (Pindaan) 2024 diluluskan
Rang Undang-Undang (RUU) Perubatan (Pindaan) 2024 bertujuan menambah baik peruntukan untuk melaksanakan proses kelulusan dan kepakaran pengamal perubatan, diluluskan di Dewan Rakyat hari ini.
Kerjasama dengan Ericsson mampu angkat Malaysia - PM Anwar
Kerjasama dengan Ericsson mampu angkat Malaysia - PM Anwar
Suspek dibebaskan dengan jaminan polis
Seorang pekebun lelaki yang direman bagi membantu siasatan kes dua beradik maut akibat termakan keropok beracun minggu lalu, akan tamat pada Khamis dan tidak akan disambung semula.