Two people die in escape jump after air mattress failure
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A fire at a hotel in Bucheon, South Korea, killed seven people and injured dozens more on Thursday.
Two of the victims reportedly died when they jumped from the eighth floor of the hotel onto an air mattress provided by the fire department and rolled over on impact.
The fire was first reported at around 7:39 p.m. local time on Thursday. Of the seven fatalities, five died from smoke inhalation, said Cho Seon-ho, chief of the Gyeonggi Provincial Fire Department.
The other two victims died when they jumped out of a window and attempted to land on an air mattress set up by firefighters. The first person hit the edge of the air mattress, causing it to tip over and fatally injuring the second person, who jumped immediately afterward.
The fire reportedly started on the eighth floor, presumably due to an electrical fault. The hotel has nine floors.
Damage is expected to be extensive because the rooms did not have sprinkler systems, local fire officials said Friday. The hotel was built before sprinkler systems were required by law, but the fire did not spread throughout the building.
Videos from the scene of the fire showed smoke rising from the eighth floor. The name of the hotel was not initially known.
At the time of the fire, there were more than 20 guests in the hotel, so Yonhap News agency. Images from the scene also showed several fire engines and ambulances in front of the hotel.
Those injured in the fire were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The bodies of the victims were reportedly found in stairwells and hallways. In June this year, 23 people died in a major fire at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, 45 km south of Seoul.
