http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200702/200702120012.html
Nine Die, 18 Hurt in Immigration Jail Blaze 
Korean Dreams Suffocate to Death Behind Bars China Demands Investigation into Deadly Fire Foreigners' Rights Denied Even After Death
A fire at the detention facility of the Immigration Office in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province on Sunday killed nine inmates and injured 18 others.
The fire broke out at the detention facility on the third floor of the Yeosu Immigration Office at around 3:50 a.m. and immediately engulfed the facility in flames by feeding on urethane mats, suffocating eight Chinese and one Uzbekistani. Seventeen other Chinese and one Sri Lankan were injured and sent to hospitals in Yeosu and Gwangju for treatment. Altogether 55 foreigners, 51 men and four women, were awaiting deportation at the detention facility for violating immigration rules.
- Police inspect the scene of a fire that broke out at an immigration detention facility in Yeosu in the early hours of Sunday morning, killing nine and injuring 18 others./Newsis
Immigration Office officials allegedly failed to respond promptly. The metal-frame cells remained locked, while the urethane mats used to keep the inmates warm belched up toxic fumes, producing a large number of casualties in a short period of time.
Yeosu Police suspect arson but do not rule out an accident. Police said a Chinese inmate identified as Jin in Cell 304 covered a CCTV camera with soaked toilet paper five to eight minutes before the fire broke out. Right afterwards, smoke started pouring out. “We are investigating any link between the act and the fire,” they said. Jin was killed in the blaze. The Immigration Office opened in 1963 as the Yeosu Branch of the Busan Immigration Office. There have been complaints since 2004 that the detention facility was overcrowded and violated the human rights of detainees.
Inmates in lockup at an immigration detention facility in Yeosu, where a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning, killing nine and injuring 18 others./Newsis
Critics attribute the tragedy to a negligent attitude in the clumsy initial response and poor rescue work and management of detainees. An estimated 190,000 illegal immigrants are staying in Korea, and the government as a rule deports them if they are caught.
A woman cries for her brother, who died in a fire that killed nine and injured 18 others at an immigration detention facility in Yeosu in the early hours of Sunday morning./Newsis
The government has expressed regret to the victims’ families through the Chinese and Uzbek embassies here. Lee Woo-geun, a former chief of the criminal division at the Central Seoul District Court, said the incident shows that Korea is indifferent in the human rights of foreigners. “Despite being an OECD member, it will be unable to shake off the disgraceful tag of a backward nation unless it can prevent this kind of large-scale safety accident,” he said.
http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/62971
Nine immigrants dead in S. Korean fire
YEOSU, South Korea, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A fire at a detention center for illegal immigrants in South Korea left at least nine people dead and 18 others hurt early Sunday.
The blaze broke out around 4 a.m. in Yeosu, almost 300 miles south of Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported. Most of the dead appeared to have been killed by smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, but immigration officials said an electrical short circuit was believed to be responsible.
Five of the dead were Chinese nationals, and one was an Uzbek. Police were unsure of the nationalities of the other three but said a majority of those held in the facility were Chinese.
Some of the injured were in critical condition, and more deaths were expected, the news agency said.
Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook called for an inspection of all immigration detention facilities in the country.
Copyright Political Gateway 2006©
Copyright United Press International 2006
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/11/content_5725920.htm
5 Chinese killed, 18 injured in fire in Yeosu, S Korea
www.chinaview.cn 2007-02-11 10:50:19
Yeosu (File Photo)
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SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Five Chinese citizens were killed and 18 other Chinese citizens were injured in a fire occurring at a detention facility in Yeosu, 450 km south of Seoul, Sunday morning, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul confirmed.
"We have confirmed that five Chinese people died in the accident while 18 other Chinese citizens were injured," said Yan Fenglan, the consul general of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.
The Chinese Embassy has sent two diplomats to Yeosu and asked the South Korean government to cooperate in dealing with the victims, she said.
According to local media, the fire took place at 3:55 a.m. (1855 GMT, Saturday) Sunday morning in a four-story immigration detention facility in Yeosu where 55 foreigners were detained then. At least nine foreigners were killed in the accident.
Most of the victims are believed to have been killed by smoke inhalation in the blaze and the death toll is expected to increase as some of the injured are in critical condition, police said.
Following the accident, South Korean Prime Minister Han Myong-soo ordered the Justice Ministry to conduct an in-depth investigation into the incident and expressed her regret to the foreign victims. She demanded the authorities review the detention systems for foreigners and prevent similar accidents, the Office of the Prime Minister said.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, police said.
Related:
About 10 killed in deportation center fire in S Korea
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- A fire at a deportation center killed about 10 people and injured more than a dozen others in South Korea, according to local media Sunday.
