South Korean rescue workers on Saturday recovered 10 bodies from the charred wreckage of an auto parts factory in the central city of Daejeon. The blaze, which was likely triggered by an explosion, injured at least 59 others and left four people missing.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 25 people sustained serious injuries. However, officials did not immediately confirm if any of those injured were in life-threatening condition.
An official from the interior ministry department handling disasters told AFP that as of 5 am this morning, 10 people were confirmed dead, 25 were seriously injured, and four remained missing. An additional 34 individuals were reported to have sustained non-serious injuries.
More than 500 firefighters, police, and emergency personnel were deployed to contain the fire and conduct rescue operations after the incident broke out on Friday afternoon. Visuals from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex, with reports of some workers jumping from the building to escape the flames.
Structural fears and rescue efforts
Nam Deuk-woo, the fire chief of the city’s Daedeok district, stated that the blaze destroyed a factory building. Firefighters were initially unable to enter the structure due to fears that it might collapse.
Searches for the missing workers only began late Friday after officials deployed unmanned firefighting robots to cool the structure and conducted a safety inspection.
The fire was first reported at approximately 1.18 pm. South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that 170 workers were inside the plant when the fire started. One of the deceased was discovered on the second floor, while nine others were found on the third floor.
The safety ministry confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the fire had been contained by 11.48 pm on Friday night.
Investigation into the cause
While the exact cause remains unknown, Nam noted that the blaze appeared to have spread rapidly following reports of an explosion. Firefighters focused their efforts on preventing the fire from spreading to an adjacent facility and removing hazardous chemicals from the site.
Workers successfully recovered more than 100 kg of highly reactive chemicals from the scene. Nam added that some injuries were caused by workers jumping from the building, while others suffered from smoke inhalation.
A significant amount of equipment was utilized in the operation, including 120 vehicles, aircraft, an unmanned water cannon vehicle, and two firefighting robots designed for hard-to-reach areas.
President Lee Jae Myung called for the full mobilization of all available personnel and equipment to contain the fire and support the ongoing rescue operations.
The factory is owned by Anjun Industrial, a supplier of engine valves for major automotive companies including Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. Officials at the company were not immediately available for comment.
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