Lack of Safety Measures Blamed for Loss of 40 Lives
It is a tragedy that 40 workers were killed and 10 others injured in a fire inside a refrigerated warehouse under construction in Icheon, 80 km southeast of Seoul, Monday. Undoubtedly, it is a typical example of accidents that could be prevented if proper safety measures were taken. We express our sincere condolences for the deceased. Our hearts also go out to the bereaved family members and the survivors of the accident.
Regrettably, most of the victims were day laborers who lived from hand to mouth. What's more heart-wrenching is that 13 of the dead were ethnic Koreans from China who came here to find better-paying jobs. It is deplorable that the deadly fire shattered their Korean dream.
The tragic blaze took place one month after the nation's worst oil spill hit the pristine seas off Taean on Dec. 7. The Hong Kong-based Hebei Spirit oil tanker released about 10,000 tons of crude oil into the waters after a drifting barge crashed into it. The collision might have been avoided if the two vessels and the local maritime office took appropriate steps in advance.
Negligence of safety measures is apparently blamed not only for the oil spill but also for the warehouse fire. The two accidents show how sailors, workers, companies, and the authorities have ignored safety regulations. Many innocent people, including women and children, have fallen prey to poor safety measures over the past decades. Such ill-fated accidents included deaths from rides at amusement parks, fires at nightclubs, karaoke bars and even summer camps for children, and the collapse of buildings and bridges.
Survivors of the 1994 collapse of the Seongsu Bridge over the Han River can never forget the accident. Thirty-two were killed and 17 others injured. A much worse tragedy occurred in 1995 when the Sampoong Department Store in southern Seoul disintegrated suddenly, killing 502 people. Whenever such accidents took place, the government and related agencies vowed to enforce stricter measures to avoid a recurrence.
However, it is quite regrettable that the nation has failed to learn a valuable lesson from the previous cases. The government and regulators have come under attack for lacking the will to strictly enforce safety regulations. Corrupt ties between bureaucrats, construction firms and other business operators are also cited as one of reasons for repeated accidents.
Going back to Monday's blaze, the warehouse owner and contractor reportedly failed to properly install fire prevention equipment and ignored safety regulations. Firefighters presumed that inflammable vapor from the basement's engine room caught fire, setting off three consecutive explosions. It is as if we hear the screams of the victims when looking at the video clips of the gutted warehouse. We hope no such accident will take happen again.
It is a tragedy that 40 workers were killed and 10 others injured in a fire inside a refrigerated warehouse under construction in Icheon, 80 km southeast of Seoul, Monday. Undoubtedly, it is a typical example of accidents that could be prevented if proper safety measures were taken. We express our sincere condolences for the deceased. Our hearts also go out to the bereaved family members and the survivors of the accident.
Regrettably, most of the victims were day laborers who lived from hand to mouth. What's more heart-wrenching is that 13 of the dead were ethnic Koreans from China who came here to find better-paying jobs. It is deplorable that the deadly fire shattered their Korean dream.
The tragic blaze took place one month after the nation's worst oil spill hit the pristine seas off Taean on Dec. 7. The Hong Kong-based Hebei Spirit oil tanker released about 10,000 tons of crude oil into the waters after a drifting barge crashed into it. The collision might have been avoided if the two vessels and the local maritime office took appropriate steps in advance.
Negligence of safety measures is apparently blamed not only for the oil spill but also for the warehouse fire. The two accidents show how sailors, workers, companies, and the authorities have ignored safety regulations. Many innocent people, including women and children, have fallen prey to poor safety measures over the past decades. Such ill-fated accidents included deaths from rides at amusement parks, fires at nightclubs, karaoke bars and even summer camps for children, and the collapse of buildings and bridges.
Survivors of the 1994 collapse of the Seongsu Bridge over the Han River can never forget the accident. Thirty-two were killed and 17 others injured. A much worse tragedy occurred in 1995 when the Sampoong Department Store in southern Seoul disintegrated suddenly, killing 502 people. Whenever such accidents took place, the government and related agencies vowed to enforce stricter measures to avoid a recurrence.
However, it is quite regrettable that the nation has failed to learn a valuable lesson from the previous cases. The government and regulators have come under attack for lacking the will to strictly enforce safety regulations. Corrupt ties between bureaucrats, construction firms and other business operators are also cited as one of reasons for repeated accidents.
Going back to Monday's blaze, the warehouse owner and contractor reportedly failed to properly install fire prevention equipment and ignored safety regulations. Firefighters presumed that inflammable vapor from the basement's engine room caught fire, setting off three consecutive explosions. It is as if we hear the screams of the victims when looking at the video clips of the gutted warehouse. We hope no such accident will take happen again.
*This article was copied from the Korea Times website. I copy it in order to add my own formatting and also because it's happened before that I linked to the site only to find that the page moved or removed. For the original page, try this link
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