Hundreds flee fire in Seoul neighbourhood

About 500 South Koreans were forced to flee their homes after a fire spread through a low-income neighborhood in southern Seoul Friday morning and destroyed at least 60 homes.

Officials said fire fighters were bringing the fire under control at Guryong village and there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. An official at the fire department of Seoul’s Gangnam district said rescue workers were continuing to search areas affected by the fire but that it was believed that all of the residents there have safely evacuated.

More than 800 fire fighters, police officers and public workers were deployed to fight the flame and handle evacuations after the fire broke out at around 6:30 a.m. local time.