Thirty-three people were killed and 79 others injured in a hospital fire in the southeastern city of Miryang early Friday, with the number of casualties likely to rise further, firefighters said, Yonhap News Agency reports.
The fire is suspected to have started at around 7:30 a.m. in the emergency room on the first floor of Sejong Hospital in the city, about 380 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the authorities. The fire did not spread to other floors and was put out in about three hours, they said.
The 33 victims, whose identities were not immediately known, appear to have died from inhaling toxic gas, the firefighters said. Nine people were seriously wounded, while 70 others sustained light injuries.
A total of 111 patients and hospital staff were transfered to six nearby hospitals, and 94 patients from the nursing home adjoined to the main building evacuated unhurt, they said.
05:40 (GMT+4) At least 31 people have died in a fire that broke out at a hospital in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province on Friday.
According to the authorities, the fire began at about 7:30 a.m. at Sejong Hospital in the southern city.
As of 9:10 a.m., more than 40 people have been taken to nearby hospitals, three of whom have died. At the time of the fire, 100 patients were in the wards.
All patients of the hospice adjacent to the hospital – 78 individuals – are said to have been evacuated safely.
05:28 (GMT+4) At least 13 people have been killed in a fire at a hospital in Miryang, south-east South Korea, say local media, BBC reports.
The fire is thought to have started in the emergency room at the Sejong Hospital which cares mostly for elderly people, Yonhap news agency said.
Reports say about 100 patients were inside the building at the time.
Dozens of people were also reported to have been injured.