Fire kills at least 7 at dormitory-style housing in S. Korea

The facility, called “goshiwon” in Korean, is where poor manual laborers or student preparing for bar exams or civil service exams stay.

South Korean firefighters check the site of a fire in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday. A fire at a low-cost dormitory-style housing facility in central Seoul killed several people on Friday, fire authorities said.

A fire at a low-cost dormitory-style housing facility in central Seoul has killed at least seven people and injured 11 others.

The Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters the blaze was extinguished but it remains to be seen whether the death toll could rise.

It says the cause of Friday’s fire is under investigation.

The facility, called “goshiwon” in Korean, is where poor manual laborers or student preparing for bar exams or civil service exams stay.

South Korean media reported most of the victims from Friday’s blaze are manual laborers in their 40 to 60s.

The fire agency couldn’t immediately confirm the report.

Published - November 09, 2018 08:28 am IST