Around twenty bodies were found in South Korea after a fire at a lithium battery factory that firefighters managed to extinguish, the Yonhap news agency reported Monday.
“Around 20 bodies were found” on the site by South Korean firefighters, who managed to enter the building after putting out the gigantic blaze.
More than 100 people were working at the factory when workers heard a series of explosions on the second floor, where lithium batteries are inspected and packaged, a member of the fire department on site, Kim Jin-young, told Yonhap.
The latter told the press that the firefighters had managed to extinguish the blaze and that they were now working on removing the bodies from the building charred by the flames.
“A rescue team has entered inside and is carrying out search and rescue operations,” he said.
Highly flammable, around 35,000 lithium batteries are believed to be stored on the second floor of the factory where the fire broke out.
“It was difficult to enter the building because we feared more explosions would occur,” Mr. Kim said, adding that firefighters managed to put out the flames using “dry sand.”
The fire occurred in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, at a factory belonging to South Korean battery manufacturer Aricell.
Lithium batteries are used in everything from laptops to electric vehicles.
– Warnings –
Images broadcast by the Yonhap agency showed plumes of gray smoke rising above the factory building ravaged by flames.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol asked local authorities to “mobilize all available personnel and equipment to focus on searching and rescuing people,” his office said.
Mr. Yoon also warned authorities that they must “ensure the safety of firefighters given the speed of the fire’s spread.”
For their part, local authorities warned residents of the town of Hwaseong against the fumes, recommending them not to leave their homes.
“There is a lot of smoke due to fires in a factory. Please pay attention to safety, especially by refraining from going out,” said an alert message sent by SMS.
“Factory fire. Please detour via nearby roads and residents in the area are asked to close their windows,” another message warns.
South Korea is a major producer of batteries, particularly those used in electric vehicles.
– © 2024 AFP
World news, AFP
