S Korean firefighters tackle huge blaze in last of Seoul's shanty towns'

"Hundreds of South Korean firefighters are battling a major fire in a deprived area located on the fringe of the upmarket Gangnam district in the capital, Seoul. The blaze broke out at about 5am local time (20:00 GMT) on Friday, and authorities raised the fire alert to the second-highest level, with some 300 firefighters deployed to fight the blaze amid fears it might spread to a nearby mountain, the country's official Yonhap News Agency reports."

"There were no initial reports of casualties as dozens of residents in Guryong Village, which was described by Yonhap as one of the last remaining shanty towns in Seoul, were forced to flee their homes, according to fire officials. Photographs from the scene showed a towering column of black smoke hanging over the area, as elderly residents wearing face masks evacuated. Yonhap reported that 85 fire trucks were sent to tackle the fire, and a firefighting helicopter was prevented from participating due to poor visibility."

A large fire broke out at about 5am in Guryong Village on the edge of Seoul's wealthy Gangnam district. Authorities raised the fire alert to the second-highest level and deployed around 300 firefighters and 85 fire trucks to contain the blaze. A firefighting helicopter could not join operations because of poor visibility. Dozens of residents fled their homes and elderly evacuees wore face masks as a towering column of black smoke hung over the area. No initial casualties were reported. Guryong Village consists of ramshackle housing formed in the 1970s and 1980s when low-income residents settled on the fringe without permits.

Read at www.aljazeera.com