MIRYANG — 2018 · Major Tragedy
The Miryang Sejong Hospital Fire
At around 07:20 on 26 January 2018 a fire broke out in the ground-floor emergency room of the 98-bed Sejong Hospital in Miryang, South Korea. Smoke spread rapidly to the upper floors, and patients in the hospital and an adjoining care home—most of them elderly and with limited mobility—struggled to escape. Forty-one people were killed and more than 150 injured. The dead included a doctor, a nurse and a nursing assistant; thirty of the victims were over 70. Coming only a month after the Jecheon fire, it was South Korea's deadliest fire in nearly a decade. The lack of a sprinkler requirement for small hospitals drew heavy criticism afterwards.
- Date
- 2018
- Place
- South Gyeongsang, South Korea, Miryang, KR
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 35.4970, 128.7480 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 26 January 2018Fire broke out in the morning in Sejong Hospital's emergency room.
- 26 January 2018Initial reports put the death toll at 37.
- January 2018The confirmed toll reached 41, with more than 150 injured.
- 2018Debate began over requiring sprinklers in small hospitals.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Miryang hospital fire en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Korea Times — 37 killed in Miryang hospital fire koreatimes.co.kr ↗
- CNN — Deadliest fire in years kills 37 in South Korean hospital cnn.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- The Korea Times
- CNN
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.