Newscasts - Over 20 dead in South Korea battery factory fire

S Connect Co

24/06/2024 13:39

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Source: 'Reuters - General news videos'

Description: A powerful explosion set a lithium battery factory on fire in
South Korea on Monday (June 24), killing at least 22 workers, most of them
Chinese nationals, local fire officials said. Sean Hogan reports.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/3VTooqm

Video Transcript:

22 people have been confirmed dead after a large explosion set a lithium
battery factory on fire in South Korea on Monday, local fire officials said.
The blaze started after a series of battery cells exploded inside a warehouse
with some 35,000 units, a local fire official said. What had triggered the
explosion remains unclear. The factory is run by battery manufacturer Aricell
in Hwaseong, a major industrial cluster about 90 minutes southwest of the
capital Seoul. Parts of the factory's upper level had collapsed, and large
chunks of the building had been blown out into the street. Earlier smoke was
captured billowing across the city skyline. A Reuters witness saw firefighters
moving up to six bodies out of the factory. Eighteen Chinese workers and one
Laotian were among the dead, local fire official Kim Jin-young told reporters,
citing information from company officials. South Korean President Yoon Suk
Yeol visited the scene and was given a briefing by officials. Interior
Minister Lee Sang-min called on the local authorities to prevent any hazardous
chemicals from contaminating the area. Kim Jae-ho, a Fire and Disaster
Prevention professor at Daejeon University said battery materials like nickel
are easily flammable, so the fire probably spread too quickly for workers to
escape. Aricell makes lithium primary batteries for sensors and radio
communication devices. Calls to its offices went unanswered. The company is
not listed on South Korea's stock market but is majority owned by S-Connect,
according to regulatory filings. S-Connect is registered on the junior Kosdaq
index and its shares closed down 22.5%. South Korea is a major industrial
economy and has made efforts to improve its safety record after several past
accidents, many of which have been blamed on negligence