Gas Poisoning Tragedy During 'Chabak'... Are Winter Camping Safety Accidents Under Control?

30.8% of Camping Site Safety Accidents Are Burns and Poisoning
Ministry of the Interior and Safety Urges Users to Exercise Special Caution

Safety concerns are rising as heating equipment-related accidents occur at winter campsites. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Recently, with the rising popularity of car camping (staying overnight in a car) and camping, safety accidents related to heating devices at winter campsites have been continuously occurring, raising concerns about safety accidents during car camping and camping.

The number of people enjoying car camping and camping is steadily increasing. According to statistics from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in October, the number of vehicles converted into camper vans in the first half of 2020 was 3,214, a 287% surge compared to 1,119 during the same period in 2019. On social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram, there are over 290,000 posts related to 'car camping.'

However, along with the increase in car camping and camping, safety accidents involving heating devices during winter are also continuing. Recently, a tragic accident occurred where four men in their 50s inhaled gas and died or were injured while sleeping with a heater on in a vehicle converted for camping use.

According to the Goheung Police Station in Jeollanam-do, at around 8:43 p.m. on the 13th, a report was received from A (54), who was camping overnight in a parking lot in Geumsan-myeon, Goheung-gun, stating that his companions were unconscious.

The 119 emergency medical team immediately dispatched, but one man in his 50s died, and another was transported to the hospital unconscious. Two others, including A, showed symptoms such as chills or high fever and received hospital treatment.

It was investigated that these friends were traveling in a 45-seat bus converted for camping and were car camping at the time.

In particular, it is known that before falling asleep, they turned off the bus engine and turned on a parking heater that uses diesel fuel.

The police and fire authorities are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident, considering the possibility of gas poisoning (carbon monoxide inhalation) and conducting vehicle inspections.

Citizens are enjoying camping at a campsite. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

This is not the first safety accident related to winter camping. Last year, at a rest area in Namyang-myeon, Goheung-gun, a family sleeping in a bus converted into a camper van inhaled gas, resulting in one person in critical condition and four others injured.

The seriousness of safety accidents during camping is also reflected in related surveys. According to the Korea Consumer Agency in February, a total of 195 safety accidents related to campsites were reported to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) over the past five years (2015?2019). In particular, 51 cases were reported last year, a 1.5 times increase compared to 34 cases the previous year.

By cause, accidents caused by physical impacts such as 'slipping and falling' and 'collisions' were the most frequent with 93 cases (47.7%), followed by fire, smoke, overheating, and gas-related accidents with 50 cases (25.6%).

By symptom, accidents involving skin cuts or lacerations were the most common with 81 cases (41.5%), while harmful symptoms occurring during the use of heating and cooking devices, such as burns from heat, dizziness from carbon monoxide poisoning, and oxygen deficiency, accounted for 60 cases (30.8%).

As a result, some point out the need to fully recognize the risks such as fire and gas poisoning to enjoy safe car camping and camping. Although the popularity of camping is increasing day by day, related safety rules are not being properly understood.

On camping-related online communities, many posts express concerns about safety during camping, such as "Camping accidents are scary," "Safety checks are necessary before winter camping," and "Let's check camping safety rules." One member urged, "Heating devices like braziers must never be used inside cars or tents during winter," adding, "Adequate ventilation and tidying up the surroundings are necessary when sleeping."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Consumer Agency have urged users to exercise special caution to prevent safety accidents at campsites.

Accordingly, when camping, △ do not use heating devices such as stoves inside tents △ do not use oversized burners when using portable gas stoves △ when lighting a brazier, spray water around and thoroughly extinguish embers △ when securing tent ropes, use safety measures such as luminous ropes or stoppers, and comply with safety rules.

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