Police investigate gas explosion at lodging facility
Investigators carry out an inspection, Sunday, a day after a suspected gas explosion occurred at a lodging facility in Gangwon Province. / Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
Police, the National Forensic Service and other relevant institutions are speeding up their investigations into a suspected gas explosion at a lodging facility in Gangwon Province that killed six people and injured three others, according to officials Monday.
The accident occurred at 7:46 p.m., Saturday, at the two-story facility located in Donghae, with the fire being extinguished after about 20 minutes, according to firefighters.
Police officials and firefighters in addition to investigators from the National Forensic Service, the Korea Gas Safety Corp. and the Korea Electrical Safety Corp. jointly investigated the scene of the incident, Sunday, to discover the cause of the fire.
They have already found that gas stoves in six rooms out of eight had recently been replaced with electric ranges. Their findings point to improper removal and installation procedures as the likely cause of the explosion.
“During the investigation, we found that there were no proper safety devices to block the intermediate valves of the gas pipes,” a police official said. “We are reviewing every possibility to find the cause of the accident.”
The official added that police will charge those responsible with accidental homicide if the fire turns out to have been caused by human error.
Investigators, however, did not rule out the possibility that the safety devices could have been separated from the valves due to the shock of the explosion.
They also found a portable gas stove in a room, which was believed to have been used by one of the victims.
The National Forensic Service conducted an autopsy on the bodies, Monday, with results pending.
When the results of the autopsy are released, police will clarify whether the five died from burns or asphyxiation from smoke inhalation or other causes.