41 killed, dozens injured in fire at South Korean hospital

A fire truck.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A fire that broke out inside the emergency room of a South Korean hospital has killed 41 people and injured more than 70, including eight critically, fire officials said.

The fire at Sejong Hospital in Miryang, 170 miles southeast of Seoul, started at around 7:30 a.m. Friday, and it took several hours to extinguish. Firefighters were able to rescue 200 people from the main hospital building and an adjacent nursing home, and most of the victims were on the first and second floors of the hospital. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called an emergency meeting with senior aides to discuss how to respond to the blaze.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.