Nursing home fire kills 21, injures 8 in South Korea

A fire ripped through a nursing home in southern South Korea early Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, mostly elderly patients, and injuring eight others, police and fire officials said. The officials said six of the injured were in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll could rise, South Korea’s News (Yonhap). The blaze apparently started on the second floor of a three-story annex of the hospice for seniors located in Jangseong County, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul. The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes, said Kim Kyong-man, a fire official. Most of the patients were in their 70s and 80s, and suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a stroke or other chronic diseases, the officials said. The fire and hospital officials denied earlier media reports that the hands of some of the patients were tied to bed posts when the fire broke out. The victims are presumed to have died from asphyxiation after toxic fumes filled the building, the officials said, while the cause of the fire remains unknown. One nurse was on duty at the annex at the time of the accident, Kim said, adding that she is among the dead. About 10 patients on the first floor escaped shortly after the fire started, but some 30 patients on the second floor were exposed to toxic fumes, according to the officials. The three-story, 397-bed hospital opened in 2007, police said, adding that it had recently undergone safety checks. The accident came two days after seven people were killed and 41 others were injured in a fire at a bus terminal in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. The deadly blaze was sparked by welding work at an underground restaurant.