ALBAWABA - Massvie fire broke out at a battery plant in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, killing one worker and leaving 21 people trapped inside the facility, Yonhap news agency reported.
UPDATE
Latest reports by Yonhap news agency revealed that firefighters have found the bodies of 20 workers who were trapped inside the burning battery plant in Hwaseong, raising the death toll to 21 people.
The fire at the lithium battery maker Aricell's plant in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 10:30 a.m., they said, noting firefighting was still underway as of the early afternoon, Yonhap stated.
3 workers suffered major injuries, while the deceased worker was rushed to the hospital as he suffered a cardiac arrest, and was later pronounced dead. Firefighters said that at least 21 people are believed to be still trapped inside the battery plant.
A firefighter, Kim Jin-Young, spoke to the press saying: "We are still unable to go inside and carry out a rescue operation. We will carry it out once we get the fire under control,".
"Twenty-one workers are unaccounted for now. We are planning to track their whereabouts with their contacts provided by the company," Kim added.
The reasons behind the fire have yet to be discovered. The 3-storey building suffered great damage, despite the reinforced concrete foundation, with firefighters facing difficulties in putting out the raging blaze because burning lithium batteries are difficult to handle by conventional fire extinguishing methods.
The station said the fire spread rapidly as the battery cells inside exploded continuously, making it difficult for rescuers to go inside and search. At least 35,000 batteries are believed to be inside the plant, the Yonhap report added.
67 plant workers were on duty when the fire broke out on Monday, with fears of casualties toll rising as several people are still trapped inside the battery plant.
The South Korean president's office released a statement of President Yoon Suk Yeol issuing emergency instructions to authorities, telling them to "mobilize all available personnel and equipment to focus on searching for and rescuing people,".
