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    Putin slams 'aggressive' new US defence strategy

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    Russia ready for 'dialogue' with Britain on equal terms: Lavrov

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    Abbas says Palestinians won't accept any US peace plan

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    Bomb explodes outside Greek court, no casualties: police

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    Founder of S. Korea's Lotte Group given 4 years jail for embezzlement

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    Puigdemont says 'no one can dispute' Catalan separatists won vote

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    Catalan separatists could win absolute parliamentary majority: partial official count

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    Netanyahu says he's satisfied after UN vote on Jerusalem

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    Catalan vote turnout at 1700 GMT sees strong rise on 2015: officials

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    UN votes 128-9 to reject US decision on Jerusalem

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    South Sudan warring parties agree ceasefire: AU chair

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    Raul Castro to step down as Cuba's president in April 2018

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    'This vote will be remembered': Haley says of UN Jerusalem vote

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    US hits Myanmar general in new global rights sanctions

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    UN General Assembly opens meeting on Jerusalem

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    German pilots' union calls first-ever Ryanair strike on Friday

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    EU approves Lufthansa buyout of Air Berlin assets

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    Ryanair says formally recognises pilots' union

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    Erdogan urges world 'not to be bought' by Trump's dollars in Jerusalem vote

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    JPMorgan 'seriously breached anti-money laundering regulations': Switzerland

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    Sixteen dead in sauna fire in S. Korea: fire service

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    France closes probe into 1994 attack on Rwanda president: legal sources

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    Australia car ramming: No evidence of terror link 'at this time': police

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    Suspected cholera cases reach one million in Yemen

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    'Deliberate act' as car hits crowd in Melbourne: Australia police

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    Polls open in crucial Catalan vote

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    French baby-milk maker in massive new recall over salmonella fears

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    'Casualties' as ferry with 251 aboard capsizes off Philippines

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    Car hits crowd in Melbourne: Australia police

  • Seoul (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 03:20

    S. Korea military fires warning shots at Northern troops after defection: official

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    North Korean soldier defects to South via DMZ: Seoul

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    Polish president accuses EU of 'lying' about judicial reforms

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    British prime minister's deputy resigns: Downing Street

  • Tehran (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 21:43

    Magnitude 5.2 earthquake felt in Iran capital

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    'We are making America great again': Trump

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    Ugandan MPs vote to scrap presidential age limit

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    Congress passes tax overhaul in triumph for Trump

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 18:56

    UN rights chief to step down over 'geo-political context'

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    Trump threatens funding cuts ahead of Jerusalem vote

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    Polish president signs controversial judicial reforms into law

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    Trump hails 'historic victory' on tax reform

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    US blacklists Chechen leader Kadyrov, 4 others for human rights abuses, corruption

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    Air raid kills 11 civilians in Yemen rebel bastion: tribal chief

  • Istanbul (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 16:14

    Palestinian minister slams US 'threats' ahead of UN vote over Jerusalem

  • Warsaw (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 14:15

    Poland slams EU censure process as 'political'

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 13:15

    EU launches unprecedented censure process against Poland

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    EU court decision on Uber 'a social victory': plaintiffs

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 11:52

    EU says Brexit transition should end December 31, 2020

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    Eni and Shell to stand trial in Italy over Nigeria kickback scandal

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    Global disaster costs in 2017 to hit $306 billion: Swiss Re

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    EU court says Uber is taxi service, can be regulated

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    Air strikes kill 19 civilians in northwest Syria: monitor

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    Disgraced US Cardinal Bernard Law dies aged 86: Vatican

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    US Senate passes tax overhaul, teeing up Trump victory

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    Canada, US to host N.Korea crisis talks in January

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    Tax cut passes US House, heads to Senate for crunch vote

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    Mexico bus crash kills 11 tourists including foreigners

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    Five dead as protests rock Iraqi Kurdistan: medical official

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    Saudi economy shrinks for first time in 8 years: ministry

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    UN renews aid to Syria opposition areas as Russia abstains

  • Riyadh (AFP) - 12/19/2017 - 15:37

    Saudi projects budget deficit for fifth year running

  • Riyadh (AFP) - 12/19/2017 - 13:19

    Saudi Arabia says missile fired at Riyadh was 'Iranian-Huthi'

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  • Moscow (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 13:30

    Putin slams 'aggressive' new US defence strategy

  • Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 13:24

    Syria congress to take place in Sochi Jan 29-30: statement

  • Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 13:23

    Gazan killed by Israeli fire in clash on border: health ministry

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 13:13

    Ousted Catalan leader demands 'to be heard' by EU

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 12:36

    Ousted Catalan leader offers to meet PM outside Spain

  • Moscow (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 11:26

    Russia ready for 'dialogue' with Britain on equal terms: Lavrov

  • Paris (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 11:25

    US has 'marginalised itself' in Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Macron

  • Paris (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 11:18

    Abbas says Palestinians won't accept any US peace plan

  • Athens (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 08:20

    Bomb explodes outside Greek court, no casualties: police

  • Seoul (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 08:02

    Founder of S. Korea's Lotte Group given 4 years jail for embezzlement

  • Lima (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 05:47

    Peru Congress falls short in vote to impeach president

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 01:27

    US Congress approves short-term budget to avoid shutdown

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/22/2017 - 00:17

    Puigdemont says 'no one can dispute' Catalan separatists won vote

  • San Francisco (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 23:33

    Eric Schmidt stepping down as chair of Alphabet board

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 23:05

    US House votes to avert looming government shutdown

  • Barcelona (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 22:52

    Catalan separatists could win absolute parliamentary majority: partial official count

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 22:35

    UN Security Council will vote Friday on N.Korea sanctions: diplomats

  • Kabul (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 22:30

    US vice president makes unannounced Afghanistan visit

  • New York (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 20:49

    Boeing, Embraer confirm merger talks ongoing; deal not guaranteed

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 19:12

    Palestinian envoy: UN Jerusalem vote 'massive setback' for US

  • Jerusalem (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 19:10

    Netanyahu says he's satisfied after UN vote on Jerusalem

  • Barcelona (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 19:01

    Catalan vote turnout at 1700 GMT sees strong rise on 2015: officials

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 18:22

    UN votes 128-9 to reject US decision on Jerusalem

  • Addis Ababa (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 18:21

    South Sudan warring parties agree ceasefire: AU chair

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 17:20

    US presents new N.Korea sanctions resolution, vote expected Friday

  • Havana (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 17:20

    Raul Castro to step down as Cuba's president in April 2018

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 17:17

    Israel 'will never be driven from Jerusalem,' envoy tells UN

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 17:11

    'This vote will be remembered': Haley says of UN Jerusalem vote

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 16:40

    US hits Myanmar general in new global rights sanctions

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 16:20

    UN General Assembly opens meeting on Jerusalem

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    German pilots' union calls first-ever Ryanair strike on Friday

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 14:35

    EU approves Lufthansa buyout of Air Berlin assets

  • London (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 14:04

    Ryanair says formally recognises pilots' union

  • Ankara (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 13:28

    Erdogan urges world 'not to be bought' by Trump's dollars in Jerusalem vote

  • Zurich (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 12:21

    JPMorgan 'seriously breached anti-money laundering regulations': Switzerland

  • Seoul (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 12:13

    Sixteen dead in sauna fire in S. Korea: fire service

  • Paris (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 11:55

    France closes probe into 1994 attack on Rwanda president: legal sources

  • Melbourne (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 11:52

    Australia car ramming: No evidence of terror link 'at this time': police

  • Jerusalem (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 11:25

    Israel PM rejects Jerusalem vote at UN 'house of lies'

  • Sanaa (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 10:49

    Suspected cholera cases reach one million in Yemen

  • Melbourne (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 09:10

    'Deliberate act' as car hits crowd in Melbourne: Australia police

  • Barcelona (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 09:09

    Polls open in crucial Catalan vote

  • Paris (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 08:52

    French baby-milk maker in massive new recall over salmonella fears

  • Manila (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 08:43

    'Casualties' as ferry with 251 aboard capsizes off Philippines

  • Sydney (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 07:52

    Car hits crowd in Melbourne: Australia police

  • Seoul (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 03:20

    S. Korea military fires warning shots at Northern troops after defection: official

  • Seoul (AFP) - 12/21/2017 - 01:52

    North Korean soldier defects to South via DMZ: Seoul

  • Warsaw (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 22:10

    Polish president accuses EU of 'lying' about judicial reforms

  • London (United Kingdom) (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 21:53

    British prime minister's deputy resigns: Downing Street

  • Tehran (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 21:43

    Magnitude 5.2 earthquake felt in Iran capital

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 21:22

    'We are making America great again': Trump

  • Kampala (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 21:20

    Ugandan MPs vote to scrap presidential age limit

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 19:01

    Congress passes tax overhaul in triumph for Trump

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 18:56

    UN rights chief to step down over 'geo-political context'

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 18:43

    Trump threatens funding cuts ahead of Jerusalem vote

  • Warsaw (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 18:43

    Polish president signs controversial judicial reforms into law

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 17:53

    Trump hails 'historic victory' on tax reform

  • Washington (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 17:35

    US blacklists Chechen leader Kadyrov, 4 others for human rights abuses, corruption

  • Sanaa (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 16:51

    Air raid kills 11 civilians in Yemen rebel bastion: tribal chief

  • Istanbul (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 16:14

    Palestinian minister slams US 'threats' ahead of UN vote over Jerusalem

  • Warsaw (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 14:15

    Poland slams EU censure process as 'political'

  • Brussels (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 13:15

    EU launches unprecedented censure process against Poland

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    EU court decision on Uber 'a social victory': plaintiffs

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    EU says Brexit transition should end December 31, 2020

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    Eni and Shell to stand trial in Italy over Nigeria kickback scandal

  • Zurich (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 10:43

    Global disaster costs in 2017 to hit $306 billion: Swiss Re

  • Luxembourg (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 09:47

    EU court says Uber is taxi service, can be regulated

  • Beirut (AFP) - 12/20/2017 - 09:40

    Air strikes kill 19 civilians in northwest Syria: monitor

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    Disgraced US Cardinal Bernard Law dies aged 86: Vatican

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    US Senate passes tax overhaul, teeing up Trump victory

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    Canada, US to host N.Korea crisis talks in January

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    Mexico bus crash kills 11 tourists including foreigners

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    Five dead as protests rock Iraqi Kurdistan: medical official

  • Riyadh (AFP) - 12/19/2017 - 17:02

    Saudi economy shrinks for first time in 8 years: ministry

  • United Nations (United States) (AFP) - 12/19/2017 - 16:17

    UN renews aid to Syria opposition areas as Russia abstains

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    Saudi projects budget deficit for fifth year running

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    Saudi Arabia says missile fired at Riyadh was 'Iranian-Huthi'

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News

South Korea blaze evokes Grenfell Tower fire: experts

YONHAP/AFP / - The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more

Flammable materials on the outside of a South Korean building fuelled a major blaze that killed 29 people, experts said Friday, evoking comparisons with the Grenfell Tower disaster in London.

The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more. 20 of the dead were found at a female sauna and others elsewhere in the building, which also houses a fitness centre and restaurants.

The husband of one of the victims received a phone call from his wife, pleading for help.

"My wife was screaming on the phone, asking for help, but she was coughing badly because of the smoke," he told the Yonhap news agency.

The man, surnamed Yun, immediately alerted the emergency services. "Then I called her back, but she did not answer this time," he said.

Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles.

Street surveillance video footage showed orange flames and black smoke billowing from the ceiling of a ground floor car park underneath the stilted building, which stood on pillars.

YONHAP/AFP / - Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles

The fire spread quickly upwards along the outside walls of the tower, which contained cheap and highly flammable finishing materials.

"There were three or four exploding sounds and I saw the fire on the ground floor quickly jump upwards along the outside walls," said one eyewitness.

It reportedly took only seven minutes for the entire building to be engulfed in smoke and flames.

Barber Kim Jong-Su, 64, was working at the men's sauna -- one floor above the women's facility -- when the fire alarm went off.

"I saw flames and smoke outside the windows," he said.

He stayed at the premises for around five minutes, helping a dozen customers to safety down an emergency staircase -- many of them in their underwear -- before he was hospitalised with smoke inhalation.

- Toxic fumes -

South Korean President Moon Jae-In visited the scene Friday to receive a report on the accident and rescue efforts, his office said.

Engineering Professor Chung Sang-Man at Kongju University said the tower had cladding materials made of a cement and foam sandwich, which are widely used for insulation but prone to spreading fire.

"Inflammable finishing materials have been a great source of problems in major blazes," he said, citing the Grenfell Tower inferno in June that killed 71 people, among other disasters.

AFP / Laurence CHU South Korea fire

The London fire started with a faulty refrigerator on the fourth floor of the building owned by the local authority, but rapidly spread up the 24-storey tower, which had new cladding on the outside.

In the wake of the disaster, hundreds of similar buildings across Britain were subjected to safety checks, and some residents were evacuated as a precaution.

The painstaking process to identify all the remains took months and anger is still simmering among the survivors, with most awaiting permanent housing and voicing scepticism about an official inquiry.

On Friday experts said stilted buildings such as the Jecheon fitness centre are especially vulnerable to fires that begin on the ground floor as staircases act like smoke stacks, making flames spread upwards quickly.

Vehicles in the car park under the building also ignited, fuelling the blaze.

"There seem to have been a lot of toxic gases produced when the cars burned," said Jecheon fire chief Lee Sang-min.

"The locker rooms inside where you put your clothes are structured almost like a maze," he added.

The fumes and flames were sucked rapidly upstairs to reach the women's sauna on the first floor, suffocating victims who had no escape with passageways blocked.

"The female sauna has a large toughened glass wall and no windows," Lee told journalists.

He also complained of illegally parked cars in the roads around the site, which hampered fire engines.

Home

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South Korea blaze evokes Grenfell Tower fire: experts

YONHAP/AFP / - The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more

Flammable materials on the outside of a South Korean building fuelled a major blaze that killed 29 people, experts said Friday, evoking comparisons with the Grenfell Tower disaster in London.

The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more. 20 of the dead were found at a female sauna and others elsewhere in the building, which also houses a fitness centre and restaurants.

The husband of one of the victims received a phone call from his wife, pleading for help.

"My wife was screaming on the phone, asking for help, but she was coughing badly because of the smoke," he told the Yonhap news agency.

The man, surnamed Yun, immediately alerted the emergency services. "Then I called her back, but she did not answer this time," he said.

Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles.

Street surveillance video footage showed orange flames and black smoke billowing from the ceiling of a ground floor car park underneath the stilted building, which stood on pillars.

YONHAP/AFP / - Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles

The fire spread quickly upwards along the outside walls of the tower, which contained cheap and highly flammable finishing materials.

"There were three or four exploding sounds and I saw the fire on the ground floor quickly jump upwards along the outside walls," said one eyewitness.

It reportedly took only seven minutes for the entire building to be engulfed in smoke and flames.

Barber Kim Jong-Su, 64, was working at the men's sauna -- one floor above the women's facility -- when the fire alarm went off.

"I saw flames and smoke outside the windows," he said.

He stayed at the premises for around five minutes, helping a dozen customers to safety down an emergency staircase -- many of them in their underwear -- before he was hospitalised with smoke inhalation.

- Toxic fumes -

South Korean President Moon Jae-In visited the scene Friday to receive a report on the accident and rescue efforts, his office said.

Engineering Professor Chung Sang-Man at Kongju University said the tower had cladding materials made of a cement and foam sandwich, which are widely used for insulation but prone to spreading fire.

"Inflammable finishing materials have been a great source of problems in major blazes," he said, citing the Grenfell Tower inferno in June that killed 71 people, among other disasters.

AFP / Laurence CHU South Korea fire

The London fire started with a faulty refrigerator on the fourth floor of the building owned by the local authority, but rapidly spread up the 24-storey tower, which had new cladding on the outside.

In the wake of the disaster, hundreds of similar buildings across Britain were subjected to safety checks, and some residents were evacuated as a precaution.

The painstaking process to identify all the remains took months and anger is still simmering among the survivors, with most awaiting permanent housing and voicing scepticism about an official inquiry.

On Friday experts said stilted buildings such as the Jecheon fitness centre are especially vulnerable to fires that begin on the ground floor as staircases act like smoke stacks, making flames spread upwards quickly.

Vehicles in the car park under the building also ignited, fuelling the blaze.

"There seem to have been a lot of toxic gases produced when the cars burned," said Jecheon fire chief Lee Sang-min.

"The locker rooms inside where you put your clothes are structured almost like a maze," he added.

The fumes and flames were sucked rapidly upstairs to reach the women's sauna on the first floor, suffocating victims who had no escape with passageways blocked.

"The female sauna has a large toughened glass wall and no windows," Lee told journalists.

He also complained of illegally parked cars in the roads around the site, which hampered fire engines.

YONHAP/AFP / - The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more

Flammable materials on the outside of a South Korean building fuelled a major blaze that killed 29 people, experts said Friday, evoking comparisons with the Grenfell Tower disaster in London.

The fire engulfed an eight-storey tower in the southern city of Jecheon, killing 29 people and injuring 29 more. 20 of the dead were found at a female sauna and others elsewhere in the building, which also houses a fitness centre and restaurants.

YONHAP/AFP / - Experts said the structure was a fire trap, with insufficient emergency exits, flammable finishing materials and illegally parked cars blocking access to emergency vehicles

The fire spread quickly upwards along the outside walls of the tower, which contained cheap and highly flammable finishing materials.

"There were three or four exploding sounds and I saw the fire on the ground floor quickly jump upwards along the outside walls," said one eyewitness.

AFP / Laurence CHU South Korea fire

The London fire started with a faulty refrigerator on the fourth floor of the building owned by the local authority, but rapidly spread up the 24-storey tower, which had new cladding on the outside.

In the wake of the disaster, hundreds of similar buildings across Britain were subjected to safety checks, and some residents were evacuated as a precaution.

22 Dec 2017

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