At least eight Chinese citizens were confirmed to be killed in a
fire occurring at a detention facility in Yeosu, 450 km south of
Seoul, Sunday morning, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul confirmed.
"The death toll of Chinese victims has risen to eight and there
might be more as some injured Chinese citizens are in critical
condition," said Zhao Dengyu, a consul of the Chinese Embassy in
Seoul.
"The police told us that 9 foreigners, including 8 Chinese, were
killed in the accident," Zhao, who is now dealing with the incident
in Yeosu, told Xinhua.
"According to the list provided by local hospitals, 17 injured
Chinese people are receiving medical treatment in hospitals," he
said.
According to local media, a fire broke out at 3:55 A.M. (1855
GMT, Saturday) Sunday morning in a four-story immigration detention
facility in Yeosu where 55 foreigners were detained then. At least
nine foreigners were killed in the accident.
The Chinese Embassy has sent two diplomats to Yeosu and asked
the South Korean government to cooperate in dealing with the
victims.
The police said most of the victims are believed to have been
killed by smoke inhalation in the blaze and the death toll is
expected to increase as some of the injured are in critical
condition.
Following the accident, South Korean Prime Minister Han
Myong-soo ordered the Justice Ministry to conduct an in-depth
investigation into the incident and expressed her regrets to
foreign victims. She demanded the authorities to review the
detention systems for foreigners and prevent similar accidents, the
Office of the Prime Minister said.
The exact cause of the blaze is still under investigation, the
police said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2007)
