38 Dead in Icheon Logistics Warehouse Fire... Police to Announce Interim Investigation Tomorrow

Police to Announce Interim Report on the 15th
Detail Investigation Findings and Hold Q&A
Bereaved Families to Hold Joint Funeral Ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The police will announce the interim investigation results regarding the fire at a logistics warehouse in Icheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, which claimed the lives of 38 workers.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency announced on the 14th that it plans to hold a briefing on the interim investigation results of the fire incident at the new construction site of the Icheon logistics warehouse at around 10:30 a.m. on the 15th in the auditorium on the 4th floor of the Icheon Police Station in Gyeonggi.

Ban Gi-su, Deputy Chief of the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency’s 2nd Division, who is leading the investigation, is expected to disclose detailed investigation contents and then hold a Q&A session during the briefing.

A police official explained, "This briefing is not to announce the final investigation results but to inform the public of the interim investigation progress," adding, "We will use all available means to swiftly identify the circumstances and those responsible for this incident."

Earlier, the police stated that since the launch of the investigation headquarters, they have questioned more than 80 related persons over 140 times and have criminally booked 17 individuals for investigation. The charges applied to them include professional negligence causing death or injury, violation of the Building Act, and violation of the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

The fire occurred at around 1:32 p.m. on April 29 at the new construction site of the Hankook Express logistics warehouse in Moga-myeon, Icheon-si. It is presumed that welding sparks ignited the urethane foam installed on the warehouse wall, causing the fire that resulted in 38 workers dead and 10 injured.

The exact cause of the fire has not been determined. The police conducted four joint on-site inspections with seven organizations, including the fire department and the National Forensic Service. At the joint inspection site, an oxygen welder, a cutter, and an electric saw were found, and it was confirmed that welding work had been carried out before the fire occurred.

Meanwhile, the bereaved families of the victims have decided to hold a joint funeral ceremony next week at the Seohee Youth Culture Center in Icheon-si. The funeral will be held quietly in the form of a family-only ceremony to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

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