Two dead after jumping from eighth floor during hotel fire as air mattress fails

Fire engulfs hotel in Bucheon, South Korea, killing seven people

A fire at a hotel in Bucheon, South Korea, killed seven people and injured dozens of others on Thursday.

Two of the victims reportedly died after jumping from the eighth floor of the hotel onto an air mattress provided by the fire department, which flipped upon impact.

The fire was first reported at about 7.39pm local time on Thursday. Of the seven people who died, five were killed by smoke inhalation, according to Cho Seon-ho, chief of the Gyeonggi provincial fire services.

The other two victims died after jumping from a window, trying to land on an inflatable mattress set up by firefighters. The first person hit the edge of the cushion, causing it to flip and fatally injure the second person, who jumped immediately after.

The fire reportedly started on the eighth floor, likely due to an electrical fault. The hotel has nine storeys.

The damage is believed to be extensive because the rooms lacked sprinklers, the local fire officials said on Friday. The hotel was built before sprinklers were legally required. The fire, however, did not spread throughout the building.

A view the site of a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, around 25 km west of Seoul, South Korea, 23 August 2024 (EPA)

Videos from the site of the fire showed smoke billowing from the eighth floor. The name of the hotel was not immediately available.

At the time of the fire, more than 20 guests were inside the hotel, according to Yonhap news agency. Pictures from the site also showed several fire tenders and ambulances outside the hotel.

A joint investigation team examines the site of a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, around 25 km west of Seoul, South Korea, 23 August 2024 (EPA)

Those injured in the fire have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The victims’ bodies were reportedly found lying in staircases and halls. In June this year, a massive fire at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, located 45km south of Seoul, killed 23 people.