59 people hospitalised after chlorine gas spreads in Jeju hotel

SEOUL – Fifty-nine guests and employees were hospitalised on Oct 1 after chlorine gas spread through the Grand Josun Jeju hotel on Jeju island, causing nausea, dizziness and other symptoms.

The Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters received an emergency call at around 10.40am reporting that “all floors of the hotel smelled like bleach”.

Firefighters arrived at around 10.53am and evacuated all 85 guests at the five-star hotel in the Jungmun Tourist Complex in Seogwipo.

The authorities set up a temporary medical centre at the site and took 59 people to nearby hospitals. Their symptoms included nausea, dizziness, vomiting and headaches. None was reported to be seriously injured.

The fire authorities said the incident appeared to have occurred while workers were adding disinfectant during cleaning of the hotel’s first-floor swimming pool that morning. They suspect the disinfectant was mixed in incorrect proportions, generating chlorine gas that spread throughout the hotel.

Some guests criticised the response by the hotel, which is operated by Shinsegae Group’s Josun Hotels & Resorts, according to local reports.

They said the hotel did not immediately evacuate them and failed to provide face masks, even as employees were seen wearing them.

A Josun Hotels & Resorts official said staff had issued evacuation instructions through announcements and visits to guest rooms.

“We made announcements and went to guest rooms to instruct guests to evacuate at the time of the accident, but it appears that some guests who were in bathrooms or the sauna did not hear the announcements,” the official said.

“We tried to provide masks promptly, but the scene was very chaotic, so there may have been some guests we were unable to reach,” the official added.

The company said it was working with the fire authorities and other agencies to measure gas concentrations at the hotel and would take steps to minimise inconvenience to guests. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK