Rescuers searching through the burning factory in Daejeon found victims in the rubble as the explosion and fire toll rose, with dozens more injured.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korean Rescue workers on Saturday recovered the remains of 14 people from the burning wreckage of an auto parts factory in the central city of Daejeon, where an explosion and fire injured at least 59 others.
Fire officials said 25 people were seriously injured, but it was not immediately clear if any were in life-threatening condition. More than 500 firefighters, police and emergency personnel were deployed to control the fire and carry out rescue operations after it broke out on Friday afternoon.
Videos and photos from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the compound and several workers jumping from a building belonging to Anjun Industrial.
Nam Deuk-woo, the fire chief of the city’s Daedeok district, said the fire destroyed a factory building that firefighters were initially unable to enter for fear it might collapse. The search for the missing workers began late Friday after officials deployed unmanned firefighting robots to cool the structure and conducted a safety inspection.
Nine of the 14 dead were discovered in what is believed to be a gym on the third floor, while three were found near a water tank on the second floor. All the missing have already been accounted for.
The president of South Korea Lee Jae Myung visited the site on Saturday afternoon, meeting relatives of the victims and asking for security measures to prevent the damaged structure from collapsing during search operations.
The fire was reported around 1:18 p.m. Friday. Nam said the cause was not immediately known, but the fire appeared to have spread quickly, with witnesses reporting an explosion. Firefighters focused on preventing the fire from spreading to an adjacent facility and containing the explosive chemicals. Nam said workers recovered more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of highly reactive chemicals from the site.
Some people were injured when they jumped from the building to escape, while others suffered smoke inhalation, officials said. As of Saturday morning, 28 people were hospitalized and four of them underwent surgeries for broken bones and other injuries.
About 120 vehicles and equipment, including aircraft, an unmanned water cannon vehicle and two firefighting robots for hard-to-reach areas, were deployed, along with hundreds of personnel.
Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing arguments provides the latest on ongoing trials, major litigation and decisions in courts around the US and the world, while monthly Under the lights feeds legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
