National News

Suicide fire attack on subway in South Korea claims 125 lives

Fire and toxic smoke raced through two subway trains in Taegu, South Korea, on Feb. 18 after a man lit a container filled with an unidentified material that burst into flames.

Officials said about 125 people were killed. Many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, and officials said they would have to wait for DNA tests, which could take weeks, to determine an exact number. More than 135 people have been injured.

The fire started in one six-car train at a station, igniting seats and spreading to another train that arrived at the station after the first train had caught fire.

The fire killed people by the dozens, burning its victims or asphyxiating them with deadly fumes. Many bodies were found on the subway stairs, where people apparently choked as they tried to escape. On the platform and in the train were the ashen bones of those trapped in the flames.

The suspect, Kim Dae Han, 56, who has a history of mental illness, told police he was attempting to commit suicide and that he decided to die with others in a crowded place rather than die by himself.

Relatives and the media have been asking how the blaze spread so quickly, whether subway officials reacted quickly enough to save people, and why the driver of the second train kept the train doors shut for 20 minutes after he pulled into the subway station alongside another train already ablaze.

Shukan ST: Feb. 28, 2003

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