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| ▲ Firefighters conduct search and rescue operations at an apartment building in Gwangmyeong, south of Seoul, on July 18, 2025, following a fire that broke out the previous day. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) apartment fire-casualties
(LEAD) 1 dead, another 2 in cardiac arrest in apartment fire in Gwangmyeong
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout; CHANGES headline, dateline)
GWANGMYEONG, South Korea, July 18 (Yonhap) -- One person was killed, another two in cardiac arrest and some 60 others injured after a fire broke out in an apartment parking lot in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, authorities said Friday.
Police said a woman in her 60s, who was sent to the hospital after being found in cardiac arrest, died.
The fire started around 9:10 p.m. Thursday in the parking facility of a 10-story apartment building in the city.
Flames were brought under control at 9:56 p.m. and were fully extinguished by 10:32 p.m., according to the firefighting authorities.
A man and another woman in her 60s were also found in cardiac arrest and taken to the hospital.
Additionally, 11 people suffered serious injuries, including full-body burns and loss of consciousness, while 55 others sustained minor injuries from smoke inhalation, officials said.
A total of 23 residents, who had evacuated to the rooftop to escape the smoke, were safely rescued, they added.
An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the fire, including whether it was related to electric vehicles, as some have speculated.
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