12 Chinese killed, one injured in blast in ROK

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Korea told Xinhua on Tuesday that 12 Chinese citizens were killed in Monday's explosion and fire at a warehouse in South Korea's Icheon city.

Except for the dead, another Chinese citizen was in critical condition after being rescued from the spot of the accident, an official of the embassy said.

The Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Ning Fukui met with South Korean Assistant Foreign Minister Shim Yoon-jo Tuesday morning and expressed great concerns about the casualties from the Icheon explosion, the official said.

Ning urged the South Korean government to take appropriate measures to deal with the casualties during the meeting, he said.

Yan Fenglan, the consul general of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, arrived in Icheon to deal with the situation related to the explosion early on the day.

Yan told Xinhua that she is working with South Korean officials to confirm the identities of the victims and discuss afterwards measures.

The South Korean government said Tuesday that primary investigation confirmed 12 Chinese dead and one seriously injured in Monday's explosion in Icheon. Explosion inside the warehouse caused the tragedy.

Monday's explosion occurred in the basement of a two-story warehouse owned by the logistics company Korea 2000 in Icheon, 80 km southeast of Seoul, at around 10:49 a.m. (0149 GMT Monday). The explosion led to big fires. South Korean police confirmed 40 death late Monday.