SKorean building fire kills 29, injures 29

The Olympic torch relay in South Korea has been re-routed to avoid the tragic scene of a building fire that killed 29 killed in the central city of Jecheon.

A vicious fire in South Korea has left nearly 30 people dead.

A fire swept through a South Korean gym, killing some 29 people and leaving bodies unrecognisable. (AAP) Source: AAP

A fire that tore through an eight-floor building has killed 29 people in the central South Korean city of Jecheon.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was due to visit the scene on Friday where police and government agencies, began an investigation into the cause of Thursday's fire.

Fire department officials said it likely began at the building's parking lot.

A fire department official, who didn't want to be named, said there was nothing so far to suggest that the fire had been deliberately lit.

Local media showed firefighters battling the blaze with trucks and helicopters, and a man jumping from a window as firefighters held a mattress below.

The fire left 29 others injured. Most of those who died were women who had been using the public bath on the second and third floors, which made it harder for them to escape, fire department officials said.

It was the country's worst fire since 2008, when 40 people died at a refrigerated warehouse in Icheon, near Seoul.

Organisers for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics said the Olympic torch relay had been scheduled to pass through Jecheon on Friday, but the route has been revised because of the tragedy.

The building had several restaurants and leisure facilities, including a gym, the public bath and an indoor golf practice facility.


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By Justin Sungil Park

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