SEOUL: Six people were killed and more than two dozen were injured when a blaze ripped through a hotel construction site in the South Korean port city of Busan on Friday (Feb 14), the National Fire Agency said.
The fire started just before 11am local time (10am, Singapore time) at the construction site of the Banyan Tree Hotel, authorities said.
Around 100 workers were present when the blaze erupted, a National Fire Agency official told AFP.
Twenty-five people were injured, a public health department official said, adding that most were minor injuries caused by smoke inhalation.
“The fire had already reached its peak by the time we arrived and thick black smoke was covering the scene,” Busan Gijang Fire Station chief Hong Mun-sik told reporters.
“There were many flammable materials blocking the entrance,” Hong said.
The fire broke out on the first floor of the building where workers had stored insulation materials, Hong said, and the fatalities occurred where the fire started.
“The exact cause and location of the fire need to be thoroughly investigated,” Hong said.
South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok ordered officials 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,” Choi said.
The fire was brought under control around 1:30 pm.
Source: CNA
