▲ A photo, provided by a reader of Yonhap News, of the scene where a fire killed a husband and severely injured his wife in an apartment building in Gunpo, about 24 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 2, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) apartment fire-death

(LEAD) Husband dies, wife severely injured in apartment fire in Gunpo

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, number of deaths; UPDATES with more details)

GUNPO, South Korea, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- A fire broke out at an apartment building in Gunpo, just south of Seoul, on Tuesday morning, killing one and severely injuring another, fire authorities said.

Five people were in the ninth-floor home of the 15-story building in Gunpo, about 24 kilometers south of Seoul, when the blaze erupted at 7:15 a.m.

Of them, a man in his 50s died, and his wife, also in her 50s, was taken to a hospital with severe burns, but she is in critical condition. Their son, a daughter and a granddaughter evacuated safely, officials said.

Nine other apartment residents suffered smoke inhalation and other minor injuries.

The fire authorities had initially said two people were killed from the fire, but they were found to have mistaken a burnt object for a body.

Police and fire authorities plan to look into the cause of the fire.

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