I am talking about the DAEGU SUBWAY FIRE that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th, 2003.
I had been to Daegu on Saturday to get my Alien Card. I had meet people from there in the Immigration Office. I had talked to them and shared some laughs with them as we went through the process of being finger-printed. And, since I didn't go beyond that meeting level I never knew if they had been traveling to work or school and rather they found themselves becoming victims on the Subway that day. I guess I will never know for sure.
I learn about the subway fire when my Mom calls me [from Canada] on my cell phone and wakes me from the midst of a deep sleep. "Where are you?" she demands. "Why?" I ask her. "Where are you?" she repeats. "I'm in bed at home trying to sleep. Why?" I respond.
It is then that she tells me about the tragedy. I later read about it in the newspaper and hear people at school and elsewhere talking about it. It still upsets me to talk about in details so I am quoting the following two sources at length.
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Wikipedia has this to say about the incident:
The Daegu subway fire of February 18, 2003 killed at least 198 people and injured at least 147. An arsonist set fire to a train stopped at the Joongang-ro (or Jungang-ro) station of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway in Daegu, South Korea. The fire then spread to a second train which had entered the station from the opposite direction.
The arsonist was Kim Dae-han, a 56 year-old unemployed former taxi driver who had suffered a stroke in November 2001 that left him partly paralyzed. Kim was dissatisfied with his medical treatment and had expressed sentiments of violence and depression; he later told police he wanted to kill himself, but to do so in a crowded place rather than alone. By most accounts, on the morning of February 18, he boarded train 1079 on Line 1 in the direction of Daegok, carrying a duffel bag which contained two green milk cartons filled with a flammable liquid, possibly paint thinner or gasoline.
As the train left Daegu Yeok station around 9:53 a.m., Kim began fumbling with the cartons and a cigarette lighter, alarming other passengers who tried to stop him. In the struggle, one of the cartons spilled and its liquid contents caught fire as the train pulled into Joongang-ro station in downtown Daegu. Kim, his back and legs on fire, managed to escape along with many passengers on train 1079, but within two minutes the fire had spread to all six cars. The seats and flooring were composed of flammable fiberglass, carbonated vinyl, and polyethylene, and produced thick, chemical smoke as it burned.
The operator of the train, Choi Jeong-hwan, failed to notify subway officials immediately of the fire.
The arsonist was Kim Dae-han, a 56 year-old unemployed former taxi driver who had suffered a stroke in November 2001 that left him partly paralyzed. Kim was dissatisfied with his medical treatment and had expressed sentiments of violence and depression; he later told police he wanted to kill himself, but to do so in a crowded place rather than alone. By most accounts, on the morning of February 18, he boarded train 1079 on Line 1 in the direction of Daegok, carrying a duffel bag which contained two green milk cartons filled with a flammable liquid, possibly paint thinner or gasoline.
As the train left Daegu Yeok station around 9:53 a.m., Kim began fumbling with the cartons and a cigarette lighter, alarming other passengers who tried to stop him. In the struggle, one of the cartons spilled and its liquid contents caught fire as the train pulled into Joongang-ro station in downtown Daegu. Kim, his back and legs on fire, managed to escape along with many passengers on train 1079, but within two minutes the fire had spread to all six cars. The seats and flooring were composed of flammable fiberglass, carbonated vinyl, and polyethylene, and produced thick, chemical smoke as it burned.
The operator of the train, Choi Jeong-hwan, failed to notify subway officials immediately of the fire.
Errors compound the disaster
Smoke being visible on their closed-circuit television monitors, subway officials radioed the operator of train 1080, Choi Sang-yeol, advising him to proceed with caution because there was a fire in the station. Train 1080 entered Joongang-ro station and stopped alongside blazing train 1079 approximately four minutes later. The doors opened only briefly, then shut, apparently in an effort to keep out the toxic smoke that had filled the station. Shortly after train 1080's arrival, an automatic fire detector shut down the power supply to both trains, preventing train 1080 from leaving the station.
Transcripts show Choi Sang-yeol made three announcements advising passengers in train 1080 to remain seated while he attempted to reach superiors. Finally, he was advised "Quickly, run somewhere else. Go up. . . kill the engine and go." Choi then opened the doors and fled, but in doing so he removed the master key, shutting down the onboard batteries which powered the train doors— effectively sealing passengers inside. Later investigation showed 79 passengers remained trapped inside train 1080 and died there.
Inadequate emergency equipment also worsened the disaster. Daegu subway trains were not equipped with fire extinguishers, and the stations lacked sprinklers and emergency lighting. Many victims became disoriented in the dark, smoke-filled underground station and died of asphyxiation looking for exits. Emergency ventilation systems also proved inadequate. Over 1,300 fire and emergency personnel responded and the fire itself was extinguished around 1:25 p.m.; however, the toxicity of the smoke prevented them from entering the station for another three and a half hours.
Victims
The intensity of the fire made it difficult to accurately assess the number of victims. Most were burned beyond recognition, many to the bone, and required DNA analysis to identify. A total of 191 bodies were found and identified; 6 additional bodies were found but so thoroughly destroyed that they could not be identified; and 1 person's possessions were identified but remains could not be located.
As the incident occurred late in the morning rush hour, most of the victims were students or young women who worked in the downtown district's department stores, which opened at 10:30 a.m. Many were able to contact loved ones on their mobile phones, and mobile phone operators released call connection and attempt records to help authorities determine who was in the station.
Investigation and coverup
Choi Sang-yeol could not be located for 11 hours after the accident, and investigators later discovered he had made contact with officials from the subway corporation during that time. The master key from train 1080 was found in an office at the Ansim train depot. Omissions from transcripts of radio communications also heightened suspicion of an attempted coverup.
On February 26, 2003, authorities arrested Kim Dae-han, who had fled to a hospital for treatment. They also arrested both Chois and six officials of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway Corporation, the head of which was fired the same day.
Aftermath
The tragedy prompted outpourings of sympathy and anger from throughout South Korea and internationally.
Officials promised to install better safety equipment in subway stations, and added spray-on fire resistant chemicals to the interiors of the cars of the Daegu Metropolitan Subway. Six stations were taken out of service for rehabilitation and restored in April 2003. The tragedy was considered by many a national embarrassment, provoking debate about whether South Korea had cut too many corners in safety during its rapid industrialization.
Also on August 7, the Daegu District Court convicted Choi Sang-yeol, operator of train 1080, and Choi Jeong-hwan, operator of train 1079, sentencing them to prison for five and four years respectively for criminal negligence. Kim Dae-han was convicted of arson and homicide. Although prosecutors and victims' families had asked for the death penalty, the court sentenced him to life in prison on account of his remorse and mental instability. Kim died in prison on August 31, 2004 in the city of Jinju, where he had been receiving medical treatment.
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CNN.com has the following photo and information about the incident.
Traditional funeral flowers line Daegu's subway entrances.
Arrests over Daegu subway disaster
Monday, February 24, 2003 Posted: 0022 GMT');
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- South Korean police say they have arrested seven railway officials over the subway fire in the city of Daegu which killed at least 133 people and has left scores missing.
"Seven people (subway officials) have been arrested and are in custody here in the Daegu Joongbu Police Station," one of the detectives in charge of investigating last Tuesday's arson attack told Reuters by telephone.
He did not specify the charges, but police said at the weekend that they were seeking charges of negligence against subway officials.
The detective said arrest warrants for the suspected arsonist and two more subway officials would be sought on Monday, because they had been hospitalized.
"Initial investigations found subway officials were negligent in their duties," a member of the investigating police team said earlier.
Relatives of the missing, some brandishing placards demanding punishment of the guilty, and civic groups marched through the rain on Saturday to the subway station in Daegu, 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Seoul.
Most of the 300 marchers were overcome by emotion as they descended to the third level where the apparent arsonist lit a container of flammable liquid in a train, setting off an inferno which engulfed the second which pulled alongside.
Police said the suspected arsonist, identified as a 56-year-old former taxi driver with a history of mental problems, told them he had not wanted to die alone.
"I cannot find the right word to express the misery and tragedy we are suffering," Kang Dal-won, a representative of the families of the missing, told Reuters. "I want capital punishment for them," he said of those the police deemed negligent.
More than 300 people are still listed as missing after a conflagration which left some of the 12 carriages of the two trains strewn with skulls and bones.
Many of them, however, may be among the unidentified remains. Forensic experts say it may take months to determine who they are.
The investigator said the initial probe deemed three controllers negligent for allowing the second train into the station, where they knew a train was on fire.
They believed the driver of the first train was negligent in not reporting the fire properly and the driver of the second negligent for taking away the controlling masterkey without checking to see whether all the passengers had left, he said.
Domestic newspapers have suggested the train may have stood at the station for as long as 20 minutes with the doors closed and the majority of the dead are thought to have been aboard it.
The latest tragedy in a country with one of the worst traffic and public works safety records in the industrialized world shocked President-elect Roh Moo-hyun, who takes office on Tuesday in ceremonies scaled down to reflect public anguish.
"I feel shame and strong responsibility that those in charge of safety at public facilities worked with such a poor sense of safety awareness," he said on Friday. "We should feel like we committed a sin against the people."
Saturday's marchers also demanded that the subway station go unrepaired until the investigation was completed.
"The cause of the accident will disappear if the city rushes to repair the station," said Kim Hye-jung, another representative of the families of the missing.
Confusion
Trains are running, but many are not ready to travel on the line again.
Chief investigator Cho Doo-won said on Friday the driver of the second train told investigators he had ordered passengers over the loudspeakers to get out three times and waited 10 minutes before removing the masterkey and leaving himself.
"We are focusing our investigation on the possibility that he left the train at a timeframe that was not 10 minutes," Cho said.
"After he escaped, he said he had given his jacket to a co-worker. We discovered that the masterkey was inside that jacket." Asked why the driver had handed over his jacket, Cho said: "He did not provide the reasons for that."
One survivor from the second train, sitting in the second or third carriage from which he could not see the fire on the first train, said the doors did open initially.
"We arrived at the station, the doors opened and smoke billowed in. Then the doors closed again," Lee Chang-ho, a 27-year-old student, told Reuters from his hospital bed.
"The driver told the passengers twice through the loudspeakers that the train would leave soon."
Lee said he thought it was about 10 minutes before passengers were finally told to get out. Lee said he had groped his way up the stairs through smoke so thick he could see nothing, tripping many times over what felt like bodies.
"What hurts me most is if they had told us to evacuate earlier, fewer people would have died," he said.
Monday, February 24, 2003 Posted: 0022 GMT');
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- South Korean police say they have arrested seven railway officials over the subway fire in the city of Daegu which killed at least 133 people and has left scores missing.
"Seven people (subway officials) have been arrested and are in custody here in the Daegu Joongbu Police Station," one of the detectives in charge of investigating last Tuesday's arson attack told Reuters by telephone.
He did not specify the charges, but police said at the weekend that they were seeking charges of negligence against subway officials.
The detective said arrest warrants for the suspected arsonist and two more subway officials would be sought on Monday, because they had been hospitalized.
"Initial investigations found subway officials were negligent in their duties," a member of the investigating police team said earlier.
Relatives of the missing, some brandishing placards demanding punishment of the guilty, and civic groups marched through the rain on Saturday to the subway station in Daegu, 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Seoul.
Most of the 300 marchers were overcome by emotion as they descended to the third level where the apparent arsonist lit a container of flammable liquid in a train, setting off an inferno which engulfed the second which pulled alongside.
Police said the suspected arsonist, identified as a 56-year-old former taxi driver with a history of mental problems, told them he had not wanted to die alone.
"I cannot find the right word to express the misery and tragedy we are suffering," Kang Dal-won, a representative of the families of the missing, told Reuters. "I want capital punishment for them," he said of those the police deemed negligent.
More than 300 people are still listed as missing after a conflagration which left some of the 12 carriages of the two trains strewn with skulls and bones.
Many of them, however, may be among the unidentified remains. Forensic experts say it may take months to determine who they are.
The investigator said the initial probe deemed three controllers negligent for allowing the second train into the station, where they knew a train was on fire.
They believed the driver of the first train was negligent in not reporting the fire properly and the driver of the second negligent for taking away the controlling masterkey without checking to see whether all the passengers had left, he said.
Domestic newspapers have suggested the train may have stood at the station for as long as 20 minutes with the doors closed and the majority of the dead are thought to have been aboard it.
The latest tragedy in a country with one of the worst traffic and public works safety records in the industrialized world shocked President-elect Roh Moo-hyun, who takes office on Tuesday in ceremonies scaled down to reflect public anguish.
"I feel shame and strong responsibility that those in charge of safety at public facilities worked with such a poor sense of safety awareness," he said on Friday. "We should feel like we committed a sin against the people."
Saturday's marchers also demanded that the subway station go unrepaired until the investigation was completed.
"The cause of the accident will disappear if the city rushes to repair the station," said Kim Hye-jung, another representative of the families of the missing.
Confusion
Trains are running, but many are not ready to travel on the line again.
Chief investigator Cho Doo-won said on Friday the driver of the second train told investigators he had ordered passengers over the loudspeakers to get out three times and waited 10 minutes before removing the masterkey and leaving himself.
"We are focusing our investigation on the possibility that he left the train at a timeframe that was not 10 minutes," Cho said.
"After he escaped, he said he had given his jacket to a co-worker. We discovered that the masterkey was inside that jacket." Asked why the driver had handed over his jacket, Cho said: "He did not provide the reasons for that."
One survivor from the second train, sitting in the second or third carriage from which he could not see the fire on the first train, said the doors did open initially.
"We arrived at the station, the doors opened and smoke billowed in. Then the doors closed again," Lee Chang-ho, a 27-year-old student, told Reuters from his hospital bed.
"The driver told the passengers twice through the loudspeakers that the train would leave soon."
Lee said he thought it was about 10 minutes before passengers were finally told to get out. Lee said he had groped his way up the stairs through smoke so thick he could see nothing, tripping many times over what felt like bodies.
"What hurts me most is if they had told us to evacuate earlier, fewer people would have died," he said.
The link to the CNN site that tells more about this is here
CNN.com RE: Daegu Subway Fire
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Several weeks later a Korean friend took me to Daegu for the day to go sight-seeing and while we where there he asked me if I wanted to see the site of the subway fire. I was hesitant but I knew that ignoring it wouldn't make it any less real. I remember the family members of the people who died living in the subway. It was black with soot and they were sitting on blankets on the floor holding vigil. There were pictures of the dead and even food laid out for them. Some of the victims were quite young so some of their favorite food was strawberry milk and moon pie. I looked at the pictures of the people who had had their lives cut short and I especially remember one who was a girl in her early twenties from Gumi and she was training to be a police officer.
CNN.com RE: Daegu Subway Fire
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Several weeks later a Korean friend took me to Daegu for the day to go sight-seeing and while we where there he asked me if I wanted to see the site of the subway fire. I was hesitant but I knew that ignoring it wouldn't make it any less real. I remember the family members of the people who died living in the subway. It was black with soot and they were sitting on blankets on the floor holding vigil. There were pictures of the dead and even food laid out for them. Some of the victims were quite young so some of their favorite food was strawberry milk and moon pie. I looked at the pictures of the people who had had their lives cut short and I especially remember one who was a girl in her early twenties from Gumi and she was training to be a police officer.
What I remember the most is that on the soot covered walls that had previously been white tile people had written the names of their deceased loved ones and messages to them like "I love you" and "I miss you." It had quite an impact on me. And, it made my family in Canada more nervous about me continuing to live and teach in South Korea. But I reminded them that tragedy can happen anywhere and time.
Hallo Sweeti you have an vere fine site...Hug/Flamingo
ReplyDeletehttp://spaces.msn.com/flamingostar/