Mother and son fall to deaths from burning 15th-floor apartment in Seoul's Gangseo-gu

A mother with a brain lesion disability and her son, who had been caring for her, died Tuesday after falling from the 15th floor of an apartment building in Gayang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, as fire engulfed their unit.

The two were found together in the building's flower bed.

Fire and police authorities believe they jumped from the burning unit after the fire broke out at around 4:55 p.m.

According to Yonhap, three people had been living in the unit — a couple in their 60s and their 38-year-old son. The mother and son died in the incident, while the father had left the building before the fire broke out and escaped unharmed.

A welfare official from Gangseo-gu said the mother had a brain lesion disability and the father was also in poor health and used a wheelchair, adding that the son had been caring for both parents on his own.

The apartment is a permanent public rental unit built to provide housing stability for low-income residents, and the victims were confirmed to be recipients of basic livelihood benefits.

"As they were people with disabilities and in financial difficulty, a community welfare center had been visiting the household to check on them and provide support," the official said.

The building is more than 30 years old, and authorities are currently investigating whether fire safety equipment such as sprinklers was operating at the time of the blaze.

Police tape was stretched around the flower bed near the building.

Residents who gathered to look up at the charred 15th floor could not hide their grief.

A resident surnamed Park said he heard a loud thud and initially thought a window had fallen. "I had seen them in passing, and I feel devastated — my heart is sinking," he said.

Choi Sun-hee, a woman in her 60s who works at a shop inside the complex, said the son had been a devoted caretaker. "He couldn't leave his mother behind when the fire broke out — I think he jumped trying to save her," she said.

She added that she understood the mother had lost her sight due to complications from diabetes.

"I use a wheelchair myself, so I know — when a fire breaks out, it's very hard for people with physical disabilities to evacuate," Choi said. "If there's a fire, people like us have no choice but to die."

A resident from the third floor said he had been undressed and about to take a bath when he heard there was a fire. "I threw on whatever clothes I could find and ran out immediately," he said. "I thought it was a fire drill. I can't believe this happened."

A scene investigation concluded at around 8:20 p.m., roughly three and a half hours after the fire broke out.

Investigators said it would take considerable time to determine the exact cause and circumstances of the fire.

A fire department official at the scene said crews initially believed there were no casualties because no one appeared to be inside the unit during the early stages of firefighting, but the victims were later found in the flower bed. "The exact point of origin is still under investigation, but we believe the fire started inside the unit," the official said.

Fire authorities are investigating all possibilities, including an electrical cause and arson.

"The exact cause of the fire and the time of death still need to be determined through investigation," the official said. "We have not yet established whether they jumped before or after the fire had spread."