Grief Turns To Anger In Wake Of Blast

Police blamed careless construction workers Saturday for the gas explosion here that killed at least 98 people. But South Koreans raged against the government for the latest in a string of disasters.

Police said the construction crew apparently punched a hole in a gas line as well as in a sewer pipe during work at a department store. The gas then leaked into the water main and collected at a nearby subway construction site until a spark ignited it Friday.

About half the 98 people killed were children on their way to school. At least 125 people were hospitalized.

On Saturday, grief gave rise to anger in this city of 2.2 million, 140 miles south of Seoul.

Distraught relatives stormed the offices of the disaster headquarters, angry at the lack of storage room for the bodies. Screaming, some beat their fists on the bare linoleum floor, while others threw chairs, pens and papers at the government employees.