6 dead in hotel construction site fire in South Korea’s Busan

SEOUL – At least six people died and 25 were injured after a fire broke out at a hotel construction site in South Korea’s southern port city of Busan on Feb 14.

The hotel is owned and developed by a South Korean company, and will be managed by Singaporean hospitality brand Banyan Tree upon completion of the construction, a spokesperson for Banyan Group told The Straits Times on Feb 14.

The fire started just before 11am local time (10am Singapore time) at the construction site in Gijang-gun, South Korea’s National Fire Agency said.

The authorities arrived at the site nine minutes later and rescued those trapped on the building’s 12th floor using helicopters. Six were found in a state of cardiac arrest and their deaths were confirmed at 1.44pm.

Twenty-five people were declared to have suffered minor injuries due to smoke inhalation while 14 others were rescued from the roof. More than 100 construction workers inside the building were evacuated.

With most of the fire extinguished by 1.34pm local time, firefighting officials began a search inside the building.

Fire officials added that the police and local government officials still had to “determine the exact number of workers who were (at the construction site)”.

Banyan Group said its pre-opening team was not on site at the time of the incident, but it will support the hotel owner as the latter work closely with the construction firm and local authorities to gather more information and manage the situation.

“Our thoughts are with the affected construction workers and their families during this difficult time,” the company said.

The Busan Fire Headquarters also issued a level two emergency response alert out of its three-tier system, requiring most personnel from eight to 14 nearby fire stations to respond to the scene.

According to the National Fire Agency, 124 fire trucks, 352 firefighters and three fire helicopters were deployed to the site to extinguish the fire and conduct search operations.

Though the exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined, the authorities presume insulating material loaded near a swimming pool on the building’s first floor was a factor.

South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered relevant ministries to “fully mobilise all available personnel and equipment to extinguish the fire”, according to the Finance Ministry.

“Every effort must be made to prevent casualties during search and rescue operations, while also ensuring the safety of firefighters,” Mr Choi said.

At 2pm, South Korea’s Interior Ministry led a situation assessment meeting with related governmental agencies.

During the meeting, general director for disaster and safety management Yi Han-kyung urged the National Fire Agency to focus on fire suppression, and to conduct on-site search and rescue operations while also instructing the Korean National Police Agency to ensure strict safety control around the site of the accident.

Mr Yi requested that the Busan Metropolitan Government activate its disaster safety headquarters to provide immediate assistance to the firefighting officials’ search and rescue efforts, while also directing the Ministry of Employment and Labour to help oversee the process of determining the cause of the incident. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, AFP