At least 10 people, including a Chinese visitor, were injured after a fire broke out in a capsule hotel at Myeongdong, Seoul, on Saturday evening. Three are in serious condition.
The fire erupted at around 6pm local time on Saturday in the hotel on the third floor of a seven-story building. Firefighters extinguished the blaze after three hours at around 9pm.
It is reported that 45 guests were staying in the hotel. All the injured are foreign tourists. A Japanese woman in her 50s remains unconscious, while seven others with minor injuries have been discharged from medical treatment and relocated to temporary accommodation.
The Chinese Embassy in South Korea confirmed on Sunday morning that a Chinese national was injured. Embassy staff will visit the injured in the hospital and have urged South Korean authorities to ensure full medical treatment and to determine the cause of the fire swiftly.
Fire authorities said over 10 registered guests remain unaccounted for, so their safety is unknown. Rescuers have not ruled out people still trapped in the damaged building and have expanded the search, while police step up efforts to contact and verify the missing.
South Korean media reported that the capsule hotel charged about 30,000 to 50,000 won per night (around HK$160 to HK$250). The hotel’s “rooms” are double‑deck sleeping pods arranged in a honeycomb‑like structure, each large enough for one person to lie down.
The extremely confined spaces, together with luggage left in hallways, make escape difficult in a fire and complicate rescue efforts.
