Developments of the Massive Fire at a Battery Factory in South Korea
The death toll from the massive fire that broke out at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, South Korea, has risen to at least 22 people, according to the “Yonhap” news agency.
South Korean fire authorities stated that among the dead were 20 foreign nationals, including 18 Chinese citizens, one from Laos, and another whose nationality has not yet been identified.
According to the agency, one person is still missing after losing contact, while eight people were injured in the fire, two of them seriously, and six others with minor injuries.
A fire broke out at the “Aricell” lithium battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong, about 45 kilometers south of Seoul, according to authorities.
Firefighters entered the factory building after controlling the fire and found all the deceased on the second floor of unit number 3 of the factory.
The fire caused severe damage to the bodies, making identification difficult. DNA analyses will be conducted to identify the victims.
Firefighters struggled to fully extinguish the fire due to the difficulty of handling lithium battery fires with ordinary extinguishing methods.
The agency reported that the cause of the fire in the three-story concrete building, which has a total area of about 2,300 square meters, has not yet been determined.
The fire spread rapidly, according to fire authorities, due to the successive explosions of lithium batteries, which are estimated to number around 35,000, making it difficult to enter the building to rescue employees.
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The government held an emergency meeting at the central headquarters for disaster and safety management in the afternoon to discuss necessary measures to reduce the losses caused by the disaster.
