DNA wait for Chinese victims
9/1/2008 9:25
The identities of 12 Chinese citizens killed in a fire and massive
explosion at a warehouse in Icheon, South Korea, on Monday will not be released
until the results of DNA tests are known.
This may take up to two weeks,
an official of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea said yesterday.
But the
identities of two Chinese citizens killed in the explosion have been confirmed,
said Yan Fenglan, consul general of the embassy. Yan arrived in Icheon early in
the day to inspect the accident site and visit the families of Chinese
victims.
The identities of the remaining 10 Chinese victims will be known
after the DNA tests by South Korean police come out, Yan said. Forty people
perished in the tragedy.
Another Chinese citizen injured in the accident
is still in a critical condition, Yan said.
She urged the South Korean
side to take appropriate measures to deal with the casualties and promised
families of Chinese victims that the embassy will do its utmost to protect the
interests of Chinese citizens in South Korea.
Local police are
investigating the cause of the accident. Officers said the inquiry will
concentrate on the basement floor, where most died.
Cheon Ho-seon, a
spokesman for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, said yesterday that the
Presidential Office will "do all the things it should" to identify the
cause.
President-elect Lee Myung-bak, who will take office on February
25, paid an impromptu visit to the scene of the accident and met families of the
victims yesterday, expressing his condolences.
South Korean Foreign
Minister Song Min-soon said yesterday that his ministry will dispatch its top
ambassador for consular affairs, Gabriel Oh, to Icheon to help with the victims'
funerals and compensation for families.
Local media said South Korean
human rights activists will launch a joint organization to devise compensation
measures for the workers from China.
President Hu Jintao has told relevant departments in China to keep in close
contact with South Korea and make active efforts in the rescue and treatment of
the wounded.
Hu expressed his deep condolences to the
families.
Premier Wen Jiabao also asked departments to try their best to
rescue the wounded.
Xinhua
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