The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Seoul

The death toll from a fire that ripped through a warehouse under construction outside of Seoul has risen to 40, officials said on Tuesday, with most of the victims overcome by toxic fumes.

The fire in Icheon, about 60 km (40 miles) southeast of the South Korean capital, started on Monday and triggered several explosions. Fire officials said most of the victims were construction workers trapped inside the basement of the refrigerated goods facility who could not escape a toxic cloud of gas that came from burning insulation material.

The fire is the deadliest in South Korea since a blaze in the subway system of Daegu, 250 km southeast of Seoul, killed nearly 200 people in 2003. The victims included 12 ethnic Koreans who are Chinese citizens, the Chinese embassy in Seoul said. South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon plans to send a condolence letter to China's foreign minister, Song's ministry said.