Some 130 Killed in Daegu Subway Fire

A man in his 50s threw inflammable substance and set afire on a train car in a deadly arson attack on the subway line in Daegu in the morning of February 18, killing some 130 people and injuring about 140. In particular, some 100 bodies of those trapped inside the closed cars of the train were found, revealing the problem of the flawed public safety system.

The fire burnt out 12 cars of two trains, and dozens of bodies were found mingled together inside the cars. The flaw in subway operations added more casualties by letting a train from the opposite direction to enter the station engulfed with blaze.

The police arrested 57-year-old Kim and investigated how he planned the attack and prepared inflammable substance.

▽Fire Breaks Out = At about 9:55 a.m. February 18, Kim threw two milk cartons filled with inflammable substance and ignited fire in the fifth car of the 1079 train in Deagu Susbway Line after the train entered Joonangno Station from the Banwoldang Station direction.

˝A man wearing a tracksuit set fire to a plastic cartoon and passengers nearby tried to stop him but he threw the cartoon,˝ said Park Geum-tae, a 37-year-old passenger who managed to escape the station.

The fire spread through 6 cars in a moment and further caught the 6-car train entering from the opposite direction on fire. The fire burnt out all 12 cars and was contained at 1:30 p.m. Poisonous gas, however, continued to hamper rescue operations.

▽Casualties = Some 130 people including 57-year-old Lee Chang-yong died of asphyxiation or heat on the scene or while rushed to hospital. 119 rescue crews and the police were not able to access the site due to thick smoke.

It was 5 hours later that they found 24 bodies in the subway station. Then they found more bodies inside the burnt cars. About 140 injured passengers are being treated in 8 hospitals in Daegu including Dongsan and Kyungbuk University Hospital.

The Daegu city government, the subway corporation and the rescue operation team set up a headquarters on the site and continued rescue operations mobilizing some 1,300 rescue workers and a variety of equipment.

▽Arsonist = After the initial investigation, the police said Kim is a handicapped person. He got his right side of upper body and legs partially paralyzed in April 2001, and has felt helpless about his situation, which is the police suspects the motive for his attack.