Police apprehend arson suspect in subway fire after hundreds escape through tunnel
This photo, provided by a reader Saturday, shows people evacuating a subway train, due to a fire caused by suspected arson, through a tunnel section between Yeouinaru and Mapo stations in western Seoul. Yonhap
Police apprehended a man in his 60s, Saturday, for suspected arson inside a Seoul subway train that prompted hundreds of passengers to evacuate through a tunnel, officials said.
The suspect allegedly set fire to pieces of clothes inside the Line No. 5 subway traveling between Yeouinaru and Mapo stations at 8:47 a.m. after boarding the train with a lighter-type torch and a fuel container, according to police and witnesses.
More than 400 passengers escaped through the tunnel, with 21 of them being sent to the hospital for injuries, including smoke inhalation and a fractured ankle. No serious injuries have so far been reported.
Passengers and the train conductor initially contained the flames with fire extinguishers before they were fully extinguished at about 10:24 a.m. Authorities dispatched 230 personnel, including firefighters and police officers, to the scene.
The suspect was taken into custody by police near Yeouinaru Station at 9:45 a.m. after being on the run.
Subway services between Yeouido and Aeogae stations were suspended for awhile before resuming at 10:06 a.m.
Police plan to question the suspect about his motive and conduct a forensic examination of the scene.