SKorea investigates cause of shooting range fire
South Korean Public Administration and Security Minister Lee Dal-gon, bottom center, leaves after examining the scene following a fire at an indoor shooting range in Busan, South Korea, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The fire tore though an indoor shooting range in southern South Korea on Saturday, killing several people, including at least two Japanese tourists, and injuring six, police said.
South Korean Public Administration and Security Minister Lee Dal-gon, center, arrives to examine the scene following a fire at an indoor shooting range in Busan, South Korea, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The fire tore though an indoor shooting range in southern South Korea on Saturday, killing several people, including at least two Japanese tourists, and injuring six, police said.
South Korean Public Administration and Security Minister Lee Dal-gon, center, arrives to examine the scene following a fire at an indoor shooting range in Busan, South Korea, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The fire tore though an indoor shooting range in southern South Korea on Saturday, killing several people, including at least two Japanese tourists, and injuring six, police said.
South Korean police and fire officers Sunday investigated what caused a blaze that raced through an indoor shooting gallery killing 10 people, including eight Japanese tourists.
The fire Saturday occurred in a five-story building in the southeastern city of Busan, where a group of Japanese tourists visited as part of their tour of the port city, about 200 miles (325 kilometers) from Seoul.
The 10 dead included eight Japanese tourists and their South Korean tour guide, the Busan Fire Department said in a statement. The 10th victim was believed to be a South Korean employee at the shooting range. Six people were also seriously injured.
Department spokesman Lee Young-chul said all 10 bodies were severely burned.
South Korea's tourism minister offered an apology to the Japanese victims and their family members. "I'm offering my words of sincere condolence," said Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon in a statement.
Police and fire officers examined the site Sunday with National Institute of Science Investigation officials, local fire officer Lee Jung-min said.
Yonhap news agency said police focused on restoring footage recorded by seven CCTV cameras inside the building, hoping it would give clues as to what caused the blaze.
South Korean and Japanese media reports said the Japanese victims were former junior high classmates, now in their 30s, who live in Nagasaki prefecture.
They took a ferry to come to Busan on Saturday for a two-day visit, the reports said.
Family members of the deceased Japanese arrived in Busan on Sunday, officials said.
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Associated Press writer Jay Alabaster in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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