Sisters Die in Tragic Fire While Parents Are at Work; 7-Year-Old's Organs Donated

Fire Believed to Have Started Near Living Room Outlet

While the parents were away at work, an apartment fire broke out, resulting in the death of two young sisters. The organ donation procedure for the younger sister, a 7-year-old girl, has been carried out.

On June 26, Yonhap News reported that the 7-year-old girl, who was in critical condition after the apartment fire in Busanjin-gu, was declared brain dead the previous day while receiving treatment at the hospital. At the time of the fire, her 10-year-old older sister died at the scene.

The parents of the sisters decided to donate their second daughter's organs the previous day. The donation was carried out through the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency. No separate funeral hall was set up for the sisters, and their remains will be enshrined at Nakwon Memorial Park in Gimhae, Gyeongnam.

On the afternoon of the 25th, gifts and letters sent by students were placed on the desks in a classroom at an elementary school in Busanjin-gu, where the sisters who recently died in an apartment fire attended. In the early morning of the 24th, a fire broke out in an apartment in Busanjin-gu while the parents were away at work, resulting in the deaths of the 10-year-old and 7-year-old sisters. Photo by Yonhap News.

An official from Nakwon Memorial Park stated, "The bereaved family, in deep grief, made the decision to donate organs to save other lives, giving new hope to several patients in need of transplants. In order to honor the noble spirit of sharing life, we plan to provide a free enshrinement space for the two sisters."

Previously, at around 4:15 a.m. on June 24, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of an apartment in Gaegum-dong, Busanjin-gu, and was extinguished within 20 minutes. At the time, only the 10-year-old and 7-year-old sisters were at home, as their parents were out working a night shift. The sisters, rescued from the bedroom, were urgently transported to the hospital but both passed away. Police, after conducting a joint investigation with the fire authorities, stated that the fire is believed to have started near a living room outlet.