3 Dead in Fire at Yongin SLC Logistics Center... Additional Search for Victims Underway

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] A fire broke out at a large logistics center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, resulting in 3 deaths as of 11 a.m. Fire authorities have issued a Level 2 response and are conducting firefighting and rescue operations.

According to the Fire Agency on the 21st, the fire occurred around 8:29 a.m. near pallets stored on the second basement floor of the SLC logistics center located in Jeil-ri, Yangji-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin City. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Ten minutes after the report was received, at 8:39 a.m., the fire department issued a Level 1 response, which mobilizes all personnel from the local fire station. Then, at 9:09 a.m., after confirming that people were trapped in the basement, the alert was raised to Level 2, mobilizing personnel from 5 to 9 nearby fire stations.

At the time of the fire, about 69 workers were on site, of whom 64 were confirmed to have evacuated. Among the evacuees, 4 injured individuals were transported to the hospital.

The remaining 5 are presumed to be trapped on the fourth basement floor. Fire authorities have deployed rescue teams to carry out rescue operations. The Fire Agency announced at around 10:50 a.m. that there were 3 fatalities.

The SLC logistics center where the fire broke out has 5 basement floors and 4 above-ground floors, with a total floor area of approximately 115,000 square meters. It was completed in December 2018. Tenants include Emart24 and Ottogi logistics, and it is reported that about 250 people usually work there.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a situation assessment meeting at 9 a.m. chaired by Kim Gye-jo, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters (Vice Minister), to monitor the firefighting status and instructed to prepare for rapid transport of injured persons if necessary.

Minister Jin Young of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety urged, "Mobilize all administrative resources including local governments, fire, and police to fully focus on firefighting and rescue operations," and added, "Please also ensure the safety of firefighters."

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