At least 500 residents have been pressured to evacuate their properties within the slums of Gangnam in South Korea’s capital Seoul on Friday, on account of an enormous fireplace, authorities stated.
Video posted on-line confirmed flames tearing via Guryong village, a shantytown within the shadows of high-rise luxurious towers in Seoul’s Gangnam district, which was made well-known by rapper Psy’s international hit “Gangnam Style.”
The blaze, which started at round 6:30 a.m., is believed to have burned down round 60 properties however was extinguished by round midday, in response to authorities.
No casualties have been reported and the reason for the hearth continues to be unknown, they added.
“We are thinking of carrying out an additional investigation into the case,” Choi Jae-young, an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, advised Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Residents stated they weren’t shocked by the blaze.
“There have been a lot of safety concerns in the community when it comes to fire, and it looks like they were never acknowledged properly” by authorities, Lee Woon-chul, 65, who has lived within the village for 30 years, advised AFP.
“The houses are very old, and the electric wires are dangerous and have been poorly managed. Sparks inside houses have been common,” he stated.
Since 2012, the village has been hit by not less than eight fires, Seoul’s Gangnam district workplace, the native authority which oversees the realm, advised AFP.
The settlement was fashioned round 1988 by squatters evicted from different areas of Seoul within the nation’s push to develop its capital previous to internet hosting the Olympics.
There have been round 550 households remaining in Guryong as of final 12 months, in response to knowledge from the state-run Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation, with many believed to be residing with little or no correct sanitation.
The village is about as far eliminated as attainable from the opulent, glitzy world of Gangnam – an upscale district identified for its luxurious boutiques and residences.
South Korea is making an attempt to sort out social disparity, and final 12 months moved to ban the cramped basement flats made well-known by the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” after 4 folks drowned of their underground properties throughout flooding.
“There have been many fires in the past, but it is the first time houses have actually burned down,” Lee advised AFP.
“I’m not sure if those who lost their homes will be allowed to build once again, as the structures were unlicensed shacks to begin with.”
