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When: February
18, 2003 |
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Damage of
lives: Death - 192 / The wounded - 148 |
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Budget for
recovery from the damage: £Ü38,662,000,000 |
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Outline
of the accident |
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Around 09:53 hours on February 18,
2003, a fire broke out in the first
passenger coach of Daegu Subway Line
1, Train Number 1079 which stopped at
Jungangno Stop, coming from Banwoldang
Stop.
It was set by an incendiary who was
judged to have 2nd class trouble of
cerebral palsy. Right before the 1079
train arrived at Jungangno, he attempted
to set fire with a lighter, having a
4-liter antifreezing solution barrel
filled with gasoline in his hand. At
first, the passengers controlled him,
but he set fire to the barrel and then,
threw it to the floor of the coach,
which rapidly had its inside burnt down. |
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The incipient fire set by gasoline
immediately spread to the floor, the
interiors, the chairs, and the advertising
boards so the inside of the coach got
burnt down soon without any chance of
putting out the fire, and then, it was
diffused fast to 6 coaches of the train.
On the other hand, at the same time,
in the opposite, Train Number 1080 was
approaching Jungangno from Daegu Stop.
The flame and radiant heat of high temperature
spread to 6 coaches of the 1080 train
and supply of electricity to the train
was cut accordingly. Therefore, it couldn¡¯t
get out of Jungangno Stop and consequently,
the passengers locked in the 6 coaches
were all burnt down. |
| Because of the flame that had total
12 coaches of the 1079 and the 1080
train burnt down, the temperature of
the platform on the third floor underground
increased to over 1,000¡É so the facilities,
the signposts and the ceiling of the
platform were burnt down, which spread
to the waiting room on the second floor
underground and the ticket punching
stand. In case of the station building
on the first floor underground and of
the underground shopping mall, the fire
shutter installed at the entrance of
the shopping mall passage worked well
so the shopping mall could be protected
from this fire, except for only some
damage by smoke. |
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This fire, which broke
out around 09:53 hours, was extinguished
around 13:30 hours. However, because
of the poisonous gas underground and
poor fire-fighting activities that were
not familiar with the structure of the
underground station building, the actual
rescue was commenced around 15:30 hours
to find out the dead bodies. |
| Status
of the incendiary fire in Daegu Subway
by time (assumed) |
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¨ç At 09:53 |
A fire was
set on the fifth coach of the 1079 train.
Chilseong Stop (in the direction of
Anshim Stop)
Daegu Stop? Route man of Daegu Subway?
Jungangno Stop
Banwoldang Stop (in the direction of
Jincheon Stop)
The opposite train (No. 1080) was going
into this stop for Daeguk Stop (assumed). |
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| ¨è
At 09:56 |
The fire
in the train spread.
The opposite train was going into Jungangno
Stop.
Jungangno Stop |
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At 09:57 |
The fire
spread.
1 minute later after the 1080 train
stopped at Jungangno Stop, supply of
electricity was cut so the train couldn¡¯t
depart. |
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At 09:59~10:03 |
The 1080
train waited for re-supply of electricity,
not letting the passengers take shelter.
Under this circumstance, the fire spread
to this train and consequently, the
deaths and the injured increased.
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| Circumstances
of the accident happening |
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Around
09:55 on February 18, 2003, a flame
spread to the floor of the second coach
of Daegu Subway Line 1 in the twinkling
of an eye, and the coach got filled
with screams.
The train that departed from Daegok
Stop in Dalseo-gu, arrived at Jungangno
Stop, the center of the downtown. It
was out of the rush hour so the coach
was not crowded at that time. Most of
the passengers were the aged going to
a college for seniors, students taking
a course at private institutes, and
others having something to do during
day. All were seated and the inside
of the coach was very quiet, except
for the train¡¯s traveling sound.
At this time, a suspect, Dae-Han Kim
(57 years old) who was seated in the
back of
the entrance, opened a white plastic
barrel in his blue bag. On the top of
the bag, only the mouth of the barrel
was seen. The passengers watched his
behavior without any doubt.
Kim snapped lighter to flame. Yoong-Nam
Jeon seated in the opposite, who was
watching him with doubt, pointed out,
¡°Why do you snap lighter to flame? Isn¡¯t
it dangerous?¡± Immediately, the flame
shot up from the plastic barrel held
in Kim¡¯s arms.
He threw it down on the floor as if
he intended to spray it, and then, escaped
out of the situation through the back
door. He had the fire on his legs already.
He rolled down on the platform with
pains and passengers took off their
clothes and put the fire out. However,
at this time, inside the coach, the
fire spread quickly.
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