Forty die in South Korea warehouse fire

The death toll from a fire at a warehouse being built outside Seoul has risen to 40.

The death toll from a fire at a warehouse being built outside Seoul has risen to 40.

A family member of a fire victim cries at a joint memorial altar for victims in Icheon southeast of Seoul.
A family member of a fire victim cries at a joint memorial altar for victims in Icheon southeast of Seoul.

The fire in the warehouse took place in Icheon, about 60 kilometres southeast of the South Korean capital. It started on Monday and triggered several explosions.

Fire officials said most of the victims were construction workers trapped inside the basement and killed by a toxic cloud of gas that came from burning insulation material.

The fire is the deadliest in South Korea since a fire in the subway system of Daegu, 250km southeast of Seoul, killed nearly 200 people in 2003.