First Joint Inspection of Icheon Logistics Warehouse Fire Today... Search for Missing Persons Continues

Joint Investigation by Related Agencies Starts at 10:30 AM
Comprehensive Fact-Finding on Exact Fire Cause and Circumstances
38 Confirmed Dead So Far... 8 Seriously Injured, 2 Slightly Injured

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A detailed joint investigation by related agencies to determine the cause of the fire at the logistics warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in 38 deaths, will be conducted on the 30th.

The police, fire authorities, and the National Forensic Service will carry out the first joint investigation at the fire site of the logistics warehouse construction in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, starting at 10:30 a.m. on the same day.

The joint investigation will involve a total of 41 personnel from five agencies: 15 members from the Southern Gyeonggi Police Department's forensic team, 8 from the National Forensic Service, 5 from Korea Electric Power Corporation, 3 from Korea Gas Corporation, and 10 from the fire department. The start time and participating agencies may change depending on the situation at the site.

The police and others plan to focus on identifying the cause of the fire during the investigation. They will concentrate on establishing the overall facts, including the initial ignition point and how the fire spread extensively. Before the investigation, the police will also hold a brief on-site briefing summarizing the identities of the deceased identified so far. Families of the victims are also expected to visit the investigation site on the same day.

Due to the severe damage to the bodies of the deceased, accurate identification has been somewhat delayed. Among the 38 deceased, 29 have been identified so far.

The Icheon City Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to inform the bereaved families as soon as the identities of the deceased are confirmed and to set up a joint memorial altar. A 'Family Rest Area' has been established at the nearby Moga Indoor Gymnasium. It is reported that some families of victims whose identities have not yet been confirmed are gathered there.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The fire that broke out around 1:32 p.m. the previous day at the logistics warehouse construction site in Moga-myeon, Icheon City, was fully extinguished around 6:42 p.m., after about five hours. The fire authorities reported that a total of 38 people have died due to the fire. There are 8 critically injured and 2 with minor injuries.

However, the search for victims continued into the morning of the same day to check for any additional casualties, including those possibly buried. The fire authorities conducted an overnight search using excavators to carefully remove internal materials. They have confirmed the whereabouts of all 78 workers who were on site the previous day, including 48 casualties.

This fire is expected to be recorded as the disaster with the highest number of deaths since the Sejong Hospital fire in Miryang in January 2018, which claimed 47 lives. During the Sejong Hospital fire, 45 people died and 147 were injured.

The police and fire authorities suspect that the main cause of the fire was related to urethane work and elevator installation work carried out around the freight elevator on the second basement floor. At that time, about 70 workers from nine companies were working in various fields such as electrical, painting, equipment, and concrete pouring. The building was a four-story above ground and two-story basement structure made of steel frame and sandwich panels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.