Mother and son die in apartment fire in Seoul's Gangseo-gu

A mother and her son died in an apartment fire in Gayang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday.

The fire broke out around 4:55 p.m. Tuesday in a unit on the 15th floor of the building, killing two people and injuring one. The two victims were found in the apartment's flower bed and are believed to have been residents of the unit where the fire started.

They were identified as a 61-year-old woman with a brain lesion disability and her 38-year-old son. A resident in their 60s living in an adjacent unit was taken to the hospital after inhaling smoke.

Fire department crews deployed 87 personnel and 25 pieces of equipment, bringing the main blaze under control in about 20 minutes at around 5:19 p.m. and fully extinguishing it by 6:08 p.m. Some 40 residents evacuated on their own, and the unit where the fire originated was completely destroyed.