Caller Not Found Due to 'Map Error'... Found Dead After One Week

A man in his 50s living alone in Busan sensed something wrong with his body and called 119, but due to an error in the map system, the rescue team could not locate him, and he died.

Busan Yeonje-gu Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters building. [Photo by Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters]

According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 1st, A (in his 50s), who lives in Seo-gu, Busan, called 119 on the 8th of last month, saying he was not feeling well and provided the address, building name, and unit number of the officetel where he was located. After receiving the report, the fire authorities tracked A’s mobile phone location, entered his address into the system, and dispatched paramedics.

However, the dispatched team ultimately failed to find A and had to turn back. This was because the emergency rescue standard system that the fire headquarters had been using provided incorrect directions to A’s address. The Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters uses an emergency rescue standard system based on a certain portal site’s map application to track the caller’s location, and it was found that there was an information error in this system. The system was investigated to have given wrong directions at that time.

Eventually, A was found dead at his home on the 15th, a week after the 119 report was received, which was the first day of the Chuseok holiday.

The Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters has started an inspection of the emergency rescue standard system due to this incident. An official explained, "At the time, A provided the address and building name, but when the address was searched on the map, nothing appeared, so we searched by building name and headed to the site. However, the building with the unit number mentioned by the caller was not there upon arrival, and the caller could not be contacted," adding, "We checked the ambulance call history for the past five years to find A, but no records were found. We could not stay at the site any longer and returned." He said, "This is the first time the system has guided us to the wrong place when searching for an address," and added, "We will seek improvement measures to prevent the same problem from recurring."