Toll Hits 182 in S. Korea Subway Fire

The death toll from last week’s subway arson attack in South Korea has risen from 133 to 182 after forensic experts found 49 more sets of remains in the debris of the two scorched trains, officials said today.

Authorities investigating the Feb. 18 blaze formally arrested the alleged arsonist and six subway officials Tuesday, and fired the head of the subway corporation.

Choi Chong Hoon, an official at the Central Disaster Center, said most of the remains were so heavily burned and disintegrated that immediate identification has been impossible.

More than 300 people remain officially listed as missing from the tragedy in Taegu, South Korea’s third-largest city. Officials said the death toll could rise, but they believe the number of missing people has been inflated by double-reporting and confusion over identities of the dead.

Of the 182 victims, 54 sets of remains have been identified.

On Tuesday, Yoon Jin Tae, president of the Taegu Subway Corp., was fired by the city for the system’s inadequate reaction to the fire. Six other subway officials were arrested Tuesday. They face charges of negligent manslaughter, which carries a maximum of five years in prison.

Kim Dae Han, 56, a mentally ill man who allegedly started the fire by igniting a carton filled with gasoline, faces a charge of manslaughter and could be executed if found guilty.

The fire engulfed a train and spread to another that pulled into the station a few minutes later. Train seats and floor tiles were highly flammable, and lack of adequate emergency lighting left victims groping in the dark.