Rescue operations hindered by sodium storage in South Korea factory blaze.
Rescuers searched the charred remains of a car parts factory in South Korea for missing persons after a fire killed at least 11 and injured dozens more, authorities told AFP on Saturday.
Firefighters were initially unable to enter the factory in the central city of Daejeon due to the risk of the building collapsing.
The rescue efforts were further complicated by sodium stored on-site, which can explode if mishandled, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
According to Yonhap, around 170 workers were at the plant when the fire broke out at approximately 1:00 pm (0400 GMT) on Friday.
“We understand that 11 are dead and 25 are seriously injured,” an official from the interior ministry’s department responsible for fires and other disasters told AFP.
“We also understand that 34 people have been injured but not seriously, and three remain missing,” the official added.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire, which spread rapidly. A witness told Yonhap that an explosion was heard at the site.
Images released by Yonhap showed fire crews spraying water from cranes as thick black smoke billowed into the sky. The fire was fully extinguished by Saturday afternoon.
President Lee Jae-myung instructed officials to deploy all available resources, including personnel and equipment, for the rescue operations, his office said.
Other variations:
- According to his office, President Lee Jae-myung directed authorities to mobilise every available resource to aid the rescue efforts.
- President Lee Jae-myung called on officials to utilise all personnel and equipment to support rescue operations, the presidential office stated.
Lee has called for stronger protections for the country’s workers, more than 10,000 of whom have died on the job between 2000 and 2024, according to official statistics.
In September, South Korea sentenced the CEO of battery manufacturer Aricell to 15 years in prison over one of the nation’s deadliest industrial fires.
The 2024 fire at the lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, south of the capital Seoul, claimed 22 lives, most of them Chinese nationals.
In its verdict, the Suwon District Court stated that the company had prioritized profit over worker safety.
