Seven Victims' Funeral Hall Set Up 19 Days After Arisel Accident

The Remaining Victims Will Be Laid to Rest After the Disaster Resolution

Seven of the 23 victims' funeral halls were set up 19 days after the Arisel fire accident occurred.

On the 9th, Arisel workers are paying tribute to the victims at the memorial incense altar set up at Hwaseong City Hall in Gyeonggi-do following the Arisel factory fire accident. (Photo by Yonhap News)

On the afternoon of the 13th, funeral halls were prepared at a funeral home in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, for three Chinese nationals and one Laotian national who died, as well as for six couples consisting of Korean husbands and Chinese wives.

Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, and Jeong Myeong-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, paid their respects, and Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is scheduled to visit the funeral home that day.

Despite it being the 20th day since the accident, mourners could not hide their devastated expressions, and some bereaved families could not stop their tears.

In front of the funeral halls, a signboard reads, "To protect the privacy of the bereaved families, entry of media and company personnel is prohibited. We ask for your cooperation." Except for the bereaved families and mourners, no reporters or Arisel representatives were seen.

At a funeral home in the Chungbuk region, a funeral hall was also set up for one deceased person, making a total of seven funeral procedures started that day.

Previously, after the funeral of one deceased person was held on the 28th of last month, other bereaved families delayed the funeral procedures demanding punishment of those responsible and a sincere apology.

With the funeral procedures resuming that day, the number of deceased victims whose funeral procedures have been completed or are in progress currently stands at eight.

A representative of the Arisel Industrial Accident Victims' Families Association said, "The families who decided to hold funerals expressed their gratitude to the association that has been working together for truth-finding and stated their determination to participate more actively in activities for truth-finding and prevention of recurrence," adding, "The bereaved families of the remaining 15 victims have decided to hold funerals after the resolution of the disaster."