Failed suicide attempt started Korean tube fire

Wednesday's fire on the underground railway in Taegu, South Korea, which killed at least 125 people, was begun by a suicidal man who did not want to die alone, the police said yesterday.

Kim Dae-han, 56, said to be partly paralysed and to have a history of depression, is alleged to have told investigators that the fire was an attempt to kill himself.

"He decided to die with others in a crowded place, rather than die by himself," Police Lieutenant Cho Doo-won said.

Security camera tapes showed him holding a blazing milk carton filled with fuel in a station.

He escaped with minor burns. The official death toll yesterday was 125 dead, 146 injured and 305 missing.

The authorities' slow response and the poor safety precautions in the underground have provoked anger.

The police have asked transport officials why a second train was allowed to pull in to the station minutes after the fire began. It is believed that most of the victims were trapped in the second train when the power for the doors failed.

An official told reporters that the communication system was destroyed by the fire. Questions were also asked about the speed of the fire's spread.

Metro officials in Seoul and Japan said they would review the fire-resistance of materials used on the underground.