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Police question contractors over warehouse blaze

South Korean firefighters search through the smouldering rubble after a fierce blaze destroyed a warehouse in Icheon, South Korea, yesterday. Firefighters said 40 people were confirmed dead and 10 were injured in the blaze that swept through the underground refrigerated storage facility. PHOTO: AFP

Police questioned company officials yesterday to determine the cause of a devastating fire at a cold storage warehouse that left 40 people dead and 10 injured, some with severe burns.

The fire and accompanying explosions ripped through the nearly completed warehouse in Icheon, about 80km south of the capital, on Monday, spewing toxic fumes over the surrounding industrial zone.

The badly charred bodies were found hours later in the basement, where fire official Kim Jung-geun said some of the workers had been injecting urethane foam into the walls of the facility.

Ten workers were hospitalized for burns and smoke inhalation. Another seven people were able to escape from the building.

Police were questioning officials from more than 10 subcontractors for Korea 2000, a logistics company that owns the warehouse, to determine the cause of the fire, said Jung Ha-gil, a detective working on the case.

He did not give further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak visited the area yesterday and Foreign Minister Song Min-soon planned to convey condolences to his Chinese counterpart.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said 12 ethnic Koreans with Chinese nationality died and another was hospitalized for burns.

The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy.

More than 300,000 ethnic Koreans from China live in South Korea, according to the South Korean Justice Ministry. Like other foreign migrants, they often end up working in factories or doing difficult and low-paying work that affluent South Koreans have increasingly shunned.

The sprawling 22,338m2 facility was intended to refrigerate items such as meat and fruit, said Jung Jin-ho, a Korea 2000 official.

He said that his company met representatives of the victims and would offer compensation if requested. He confirmed company officials were being questioned.

The Icheon city government set up a special place for people to mourn the deceased, a common practice in South Korea before an official funeral service is held. Chinese relatives of the dead and injured will receive expedited visas, the Foreign Ministry said.

Home Affairs Minister Park Myung-jae blamed a lack of safety measures for the deaths, the Icheon city government said.

Progress in identifying the dead, which had been hampered by the condition of the bodies, was progressing, Kim said. So far 10 victims have been positively identified, according to a task force at Icheon city.

Icheon city official Won Jong-oh said DNA analysis was still needed for identification of the rest of the bodies.
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