DAEGU (South Korea) -- The subway inferno in this south-eastern city was a disaster waiting to happen, experts said on Wednesday as investigators launched a probe into why so many people died.
The toll in the arson attack stood at 125 after 72 bodies were recovered from the wreckage late on Tuesday, Daegu City mayor Cho Hae Nyong said.
Advertisement
Most victims died from inhaling toxic smoke, according to hospital authorities. Many were trapped in the subway system which was plunged into pitch darkness after power at the Jungangno subway station was automatically shut down when the blaze broke out, experts said.
Civil engineering professor Yoon Myeong O of the University of Seoul said: 'The disaster in Daegu showed vividly that the emergency safety measures simply did not work.
'The government must take a serious lesson from this disaster.'
Materials used in fittings inside the trains were not fire-proof and crumpled in the intense heat, emitting thick clouds of toxic gases.
Interior furnishings included fiberglass and reinforced plastic, carbonated vinyl and polyethylene, according to experts.
The underground station was clogged with black smoke and toxic gas, blinding and suffocating riders within minutes of the fire starting.
Source: Straits Times Website
Will it hapen to Singapore??? SMRT said not possible, your views??
_____________
i am a gentleman Check for your smiley here
