A 12-year-old who suffered critical injuries in a fire while home alone died Monday, and the bereaved family has decided to donate her organs.
According to the Seo-gu district office of Incheon Metropolitan Government, the girl died Monday morning. She had been pronounced brain-dead after sustaining second-degree burns and suffering cardiac arrest in a fire that broke out around 10:43 a.m. on Feb. 26.
She had been alone at her home at the time; her mother was at work, and her father was at a hospital receiving dialysis due to his kidney problems.
A portable gas stove and empty containers of instant noodles were found at the scene. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire.
The girl's mother told local media that they decided to donate her organs so that she "will be remembered as a child who did a good deed before she was gone." She said her daughter was a kind-hearted soul, whose dream was to become a vet one day.
Police officials said Tuesday an autopsy on the victim's body is planned to confirm the cause of her death.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
