A fire at a nursing home in South Korea killed 21 people early Wednesday in the latest tragedy to hit a nation still mourning after last month's ferry disaster.
The rural hospital, located 186 miles southwest of Seoul in Jeolla province, is home to dozens of chronically ill, elderly patients, many of whom are unable to walk freely, resulting in the high death toll.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight, with all the victims, mainly in their 70s and 80s, sleeping on the first floor of a building, according to local fire department officials.
A further eight were injured, including six critically, in the fire, which was extinguished within around 30 minutes although many of the victims suffered from fatal smoke inhalation.
There were reports that many patients were unable to escape the blaze as their hands were tied to bedposts due to Alzheimer's, strokes and other serious illnesses, according to Yonhap News Agency.
There was reportedly only one nurse on duty at the hospital overnight and she died in the fire, while around 10 patients managed to escape from the ground floor, according to officials.
Apologising for the blaze, Lee Hyung-seok, a director of the nursing home, reportedly knelt and touched his forehead on the ground, before telling local media: 'I've committed a grave sin. There is no excuse when valuable lives were sacrificed.'
The fire is the latest in a recent string of high-profile tragedies to hit South Korea, a nation long lauded for its modern economic growth but increasingly under the spotlight for its safety standards.
On Monday, seven people were killed and 41 injured after a fire broke out at a bus terminal in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, reportedly caused by welding work at an underground restaurant.
Earlier this month, dozens of residents in Seoul were also injured when two subway cars collided in an accident that raised questions about the safety regulations surrounding transport infrastructure.
The latest fire comes at a time of widespread mourning in South Korea, as the nation struggles to recover from the ferry disaster last month which left more than 300 people dead or missing.
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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