A man suspected of setting fire inside a Seoul Subway Line 5 train was arrested on the morning of the 31st.
According to the fire authorities, a fire broke out around 8:47 a.m. on the subway Line 5 train traveling between Yeoinaru Station and Mapo Station toward Hanam and Machun.
Passengers used the fire extinguishers available on the train to put out the fire and completed initial suppression. The fire is now completely extinguished. Approximately 400 passengers evacuated through the tunnel, and among them, 21 were transported to the hospital due to smoke inhalation and ankle fractures.
According to police and witnesses, a man in his 60s boarded the train holding a gasoline container and set the fire using a lighter torch. The man fled afterward but was arrested by police at Yeoinaru Station.
A person surnamed A, who evacuated to Yeoinaru Station, stated that they were about 3 meters away from the suspect. A said, "(The suspect) was yelling inside the train and sprayed something from a bottle of distilled liquor, and it smelled like gasoline. People began to evacuate, and it seems he lit the fire immediately. It was less than 10 seconds before the train was filled with smoke."
A said it took about 10 minutes for the train doors to open after the fire broke out. A explained that the suspect was found collapsed in the tunnel while moving to Yeoinaru Station.
Police plan to conduct an investigation into the cause of arson and examine the scene.