37 Women Killed In Dormitory Fire

Fires tore through the dormitory of a rehabilitation center for prostitutes early Monday, killing 37 women and injuring 16 more, police said. Arson was suspected.

Most of the victims were prostitutes or other underprivileged women undergoing court-ordered rehabilitation at the Kyonggi Women’s Technical School in Yongin, 35 miles south of Seoul, police said.

The doors were locked and windows barred to prevent the women from escaping, and many burned to death or suffocated, according to the official KBS television network.

Fires broke out almost simultaneously in several dormitory rooms at about 2 a.m., police said, citing witness accounts. The fires came shortly after several women attacked the matron of the dormitory, Park Yong-hi, 58.