By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
There were scenes of extreme emotional distress as families of the victims of a fire at a warehouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, gathered Tuesday.
Icheon community center, which was temporarily set up as a receiving area, was filled with victims' families and relatives.
Jeong In-seob collapsed when his 19-year-old son was reported missing. His son, Young-su, was a high school senior and started working at the warehouse during his winter vacation because he ``wanted to make his own money for living.''
``I didn't have a chance to say good-bye to him this morning. He was such a good boy,'' he repeated.
Lee Jeom-ok, a close friend of cleaning lady Lee Eul-soon who was also trapped in the building, recalled her friend as a sincere person who never forgot to smile despite obstacles.
``She supported her two sons going to university with the job. She also had to take care of her 80-year-old mother-in-law with her husband, who works as a day laborer, but she never complained,'' Lee said.
There were also thirteen foreign workers who were killed ― most of whom were Chinese nationals.
The devastating fire shattered the Korean dream for a family of seven ethnic Koreans from China.
Lim Chun-won, 45, was rescued from the site but her husband Bae Seong-hyeon was listed as missing. The couple moved to Korea in 2006 to achieve the ``Korean dream,'' for her son in college. Lim's sister told the Chosun Ilbo on the telephone that their son doesn't know the news yet, and she's afraid to tell him.
A number of temporary workers remained unidentified.
Those injured in the tragedy suffered greatly, Ahn Sun-shik, 51, testified, ``While trying to finish lagging, I heard a sudden voice crying out fire, and I just ran and ran until I heard a big blast,'' adding that it was more than a nightmare.
Some had burns all over their bodies. Park Jong-young, who was sent to Bestian Medical Center after getting second-degree burns, said the experience was beyond words it was so horrific. ``I heard `Fire!' and looked into the building, then I was engulfed,'' he said.
The government said it would specify how the families of the deceased will be helped after identification is completed. The funeral schedule and compensation for the 40 victims relatives will be discussed then, too.