|
[
Home ]
Subway
Fire / Arson Attack:
Taegu, South Korea 2003 February 18th 10:00 a.m.:
A man in his 40s dressed in a tracksuit allegedly set fire to a plastic
milk carton containing a flammable liquid and threw it inside the subway
train. Witnesses stated that other passengers had tried in vain to stop
the suspect from starting the fire. The arsonist, who survived the incident,
is described as having a history of mental illness (hard as this is
to believe in times of heightened terrorist alerts and increased tensions
with North Korea). A second train was stopped at the same station and
not immediately evacuated. As many as 600 passengers were reported to
have been aboard both trains; more than 130 people died and nearly 150
were injured in the blaze.
 |
It is frustrating that, according to early reports (not verified yet!!)
many people died due to circumstances similar to earlier tunnel and
subway fires (i.e., London Kings Cross Subway Station in November of
1987; Kaprun, Austria in November of 2000).
Fires in transportation systems, shopping areas, conference halls, bars,
and restaurants in underground facilities are often devastating in terms
of loss of life and also extremely difficult to extinguish due to
- Build-up
of tremendous heat and smoke that cannot escape due to limited
or non-existing ventilation in a space confined by concrete
and steal;
- Hot and
toxic smoke that engulfs the entire facility and takes away
all breathable air/oxygen;
- Total darkness
caused by dense smoke and failure of power;
- Confusion
of survivors and rescuers unfamiliar with what are often very
large and complex underground facilities;
- Limited
evacuation routes or escape opportunities (i.e., emergency exits,
windows).
|
The city of Taegu,
population 2.5 million, is located approximately 200 miles south of
the capitol city Seoul.
In 1995, more than 100 people were killed and another 100 injured in
a gas explosion at the city's only subway line.
|
