40 die in South Korean warehouse fire

updated 10:14 a.m. ET Jan. 7, 2008

SEOUL, South Korea - A fire that tore through a South Korean warehouse Monday killed 40 people, a fire official said.

Kim Jung-geun said that no more bodies were expected to be found at the site of the blaze in Icheon about 50 miles south of Seoul. Earlier, officials said that rescuers were searching for 10 missing people.

At least 10 people were injured.

The exact cause of the fire, which started at the warehouse in the morning, was not known, Kim said earlier.

But Jin Sung-hun, another fire official in Icheon, had said explosions were involved in the blaze, which had not yet been extinguished.

An official at Korea 2000, a logistics company that owns the facility, said that the building had been under construction and was intended for refrigeration purposes. The official said workers were applying the final touches when the fire broke out. The official requested anonymity, saying company rules prohibit employees from speaking to the media.

Ha Jae-ho, a fire investigator, said on cable news channel YTN television that firefighters and rescue officials were conducting their operation cautiously because the building might collapse.

Ten people who were injured were receiving treatment in hospitals for burns and smoke inhalation, Kim said.

“We do not yet fully have the fire under control because smoke is still coming out of the basement,” he said.

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