A fire in a slum in Seoul forces 500 people to flee
Flames engulfed the slum of Guriyeong, nestled in the shadow of high-rise towers in the upscale Ganam district of Seoul.
A.F.B
A massive fire broke out yesterday morning in one of the last slums in the South Korean capital, Seoul, forcing about 500 people to flee their homes before the Lunar New Year holiday, according to the authorities.
A video clip posted online showed flames engulfing the village of Goryeong, a slum nestled in the shadow of high-rise towers in the upscale Ganam neighborhood made famous by rapper Psy's song "Ganam Style".
Ten helicopters and hundreds of firefighters, police and troops joined the effort to put out the fire, which has destroyed roughly a tenth of more than 600 homes, according to officials.
No casualties were reported, and the cause of the fire is still unknown, according to the same source.
"We plan to open an additional investigation into this case," Choi Jae-young, an official at the Seoul Fire and Disaster Center, told AFP.
Lee Won-chul, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said, "There are a lot of safety issues in the community regarding fires, and it seems the authorities have never taken them into consideration."
He added that «the houses are very old and the electrical wires are dangerous and not well managed.
Sparks are common in homes.
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