Two dead, 29 injured in Dobong apartment building fire

Two people died, and 29 were injured, in a fire that broke out in an apartment building in Dobong District, northern Seoul, on Christmas morning.

A fire breaks out at an apartment in Dobong District, northern Seoul, at around 4:57 a.m. on Monday. Two people died and at least 29 were injured in the accident. [NEWS1]

Two people died in a fire that broke out at a 23-story apartment in Banghak-dong, Dobong District, northern Seoul, on Christmas morning. At least 29 others were injured, while 200 were evacuated from the building.

The local fire department reported that the fire started on the third floor at 4:57 a.m. The fire quickly spread to the twelfth floor, according to witness accounts. Although firefighters were immediately dispatched, they weren't able to extinguish the blaze until 8:40 a.m., nearly four hours later.

The two individuals living on the third floor, both of whom are in their 70s, jumped to the ground and escaped the flames.

One of the two victims died while rescuing his two young children, media outlets reported.

The man, only identified by his surname Park, jumped off from the fourth floor of the apartment holding his seven-month-old and two-year-old babies, whom he'd wrapped in a blanket.

Park’s wife, who is the mother of two surviving babies, sustained a shoulder fracture from the incident and has been sent to a hospital.

The other victim of the accident, a man in his 30s identified only by his surname, Lim, was discovered dead in the 11th-floor stairwell. Lim, who was later found out as the first person to call the fire authorities about the blaze, is believed to have died of suffocation from the smoke.

Police and fire authorities will launch a joint investigation into the case on Tuesday.

The fire was just one of a series of tragic accidents that took place over the Christmas weekend.

A building in Daedeok District, Daejeon, partially collapsed after an explosion occurred in its basement restaurant around 8:50 p.m. on Sunday. At least 12 people were injured in the explosion. A man in his 50s was sent to a hospital with burns on his whole body. Two restaurants in the building collapsed, and windows in neighboring buildings broke due to the explosion.

Three elderly women also died from electrocution at a public bathhouse in Jochiwon-eup, Sejong earlier that day. A woman called the authorities after hearing three other guests scream and collapse in a hot tub, according to Sejong police.

The three women, all in their 70s, were found in cardiac arrest and transferred to a hospital, but ultimately died.

President Yoon Suk Yeol sent condolences to the weekend's victims on Monday afternoon.

“Tragic accidents took place during the Christmas holiday that is supposed to be filled with joy,” Yoon wrote in his Facebook post.

“I send my condolences to those who lost their lives and their families and hope that those who were injured recover fast.”

The president added that a country's highest obligation is to protect the lives and safety of its people and asked related officials to do their best to keep their constituents safe.

But while tragedy marred the joy of the Christmas holiday for many, others still found joy in the snow, as Seoul residents experienced a white Christmas for the first time in about eight years.

A child makes a snowball near Hwaseong Haeunggung in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Christmas that fell on Monday. Many parts of the country, including Seoul and Gyeonggi, were piled under snow on Monday. [YONHAP]

Many parts of Korea were covered in snow on Christmas, and Seoul residents experienced a white Christmas for the first time in about eight years.

Heavy snowfall hit the central region on Monday, with parts of the greater Seoul area and Gangwon issued heavy snow advisories in the morning.

Most snow warnings issued across the country were lifted throughout the day. Parts of the peninsula, including southern Gyeonggi, inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon and Chungcheong saw around one centimeter (0.4 inches) of snow.

Monday marked the first white Christmas for Seoul residents since 2015. A white Christmas is declared when enough snow accumulates for an official record.

Temperatures recovered to their annual average on Monday, with midday highs across the country ranging between 1.8 degrees Celsius (35.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and 9.7 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Morning lows hovered between minus 9.5 degrees Celsius and 1.3 degrees Celsius.

Despite the cold, crowds gathered in Seoul's popular destinations including the streets of Myeong-dong and Itaewon in central Seoul. Local authorities in the capital dispatched over 1,000 security personnel to such destinations every day from Friday through Monday.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]