Fire in shopping mall in South Korean city leaves 7 dead

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Officials say a fire that broke out at the basement of a shopping mall in the South Korean city of Daejeon has killed at least seven people. Firefighters are continuing to search for survivors after putting out the blaze on Monday afternoon. It’s not immediately clear if there are people still missing and firefighters say smoke remained in some parts of the building. The fire broke out at around 7:45 a.m. and quickly spread across the basement’s loading dock area, prompting the evacuation of more than 110 people, including mall employees and customers at a nearby hotel. Officials say the damage could have been worse if the blaze had broken out during the mall’s business hours. The cause of the fire is being investigated.