Mother and son die in western Seoul apartment fire

Two people died and another was injured in a fire at an apartment in western Seoul on Tuesday afternoon.

The fire started around 4:55 p.m. in a unit on the 15th floor of an apartment building in Gayang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

The two who died were found in a flowerbed outside the building and were residents of the unit where the fire began. Authorities speculate the two jumped from the apartment to escape the fire.

The victims were a 61-year-old woman with a brain lesion disability and a 38-year-old man, identified as her son. A 63-year-old woman who lived in the unit next door was taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke.

Firefighters deployed 25 units of equipment and 87 personnel, bringing the fire under control around 5:19 p.m., roughly 20 minutes after it started, and fully extinguishing it around 6:08 p.m. Forty residents evacuated on their own, and the unit where the fire began was entirely burnt down.

Fire authorities said they would investigate the cause of the blaze and the extent of the damage.