At least eleven people have died and three are missing after a fire broke out at an auto parts factory in Daejeon, South Korea, on Friday, officials said.
“We understand that 11 people have been killed, 25 seriously injured,” an official at the Interior Ministry department that handles fires and other disasters told news agency AFP.
“We also understand that 34 have been injured but are not in critical condition and three are still missing,” he said.
The fire broke out around 1:00 pm (0400 GMT) and spread rapidly throughout the facility, sending thick gray smoke into the sky.
There were approximately 170 employees in the building at the time. In photographs from the incident site, workers are seen jumping from the upper floor to escape the flames.
Nam Deuk-woo, Daedeok district fire chief, said the cause was not immediately known, although witnesses reported the explosion.
Difficulties for firefighters increased due to danger of building collapse
Firefighters could not enter parts of the building in South Korea’s fifth-largest city due to fear of collapse.
Instead, crews focused on preventing the fire from spreading to nearby facilities and removing hazardous chemicals.
Officials said approximately 200 kilograms (440 lb) of highly reactive chemicals were stored at the facility.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the site stored sodium, which could explode if handled improperly.
Some of the injured suffered breathing problems due to smoke, while others suffered injuries from jumping from the building, Nam said.
The President ordered a full-scale rescue
The fire prompted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to order full deployment of personnel and equipment to support rescue efforts.
More than 500 emergency personnel and about 120 vehicles were deployed, including evacuation aircraft, an unmanned water cannon vehicle and firefighting robots designed to work in hazardous areas.
Robots were used to cool the structure and conduct safety inspections, leading to a search for the missing workers late Friday night.
Nam said the remains of one person were found on the second floor, while the remains of nine others were found on the third floor, a gym.
By Saturday morning, rescue workers had searched all accessible areas of the plant, adding that the remaining missing were likely trapped under the collapsed debris.
The fire was extinguished by Saturday afternoon.
Edited by: Kieran Burke