Newscasts - S.Korea factory fire shows risks for migrant workers

S Connect Co

25/06/2024 15:16

Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_k0akavz1&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2024:newsml_RW359225062024RP1_930&pageId=Newscasts
Source: 'Reuters - Business videos'

Description: Following a deadly fire in a South Korean lithium battery
manufacturer which killed 23 workers, the majority of whom were Chinese,
Beijing has called on Seoul to discover the cause of the incident as quickly
as possible. Fiona Jones' report contains some distressing images.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/45MtyHV

Video Transcript:

Surveillance footage shows the moment a deadly fire started at a South Korean
battery manufacturer and killed 23 workers on Monday. The video shows smoke
coming from a stack of lithium batteries. And in a factory which contained
around 35,000 of them, the fire quickly evolved into a huge blaze which then
sparked explosions. The now-gutted structure was in Hwaseong, an industrial
cluster southwest of the capital Seoul. Firefighters with search dogs combed
the remains on Tuesday and found the body of the last unaccounted-for person,
raising the death toll to 23. The father of one victim, while trying to find
the body of his Chinese national daughter, told Reuters she had called the
batteries “dangerous” multiple times. And he said she had recently
told him about another fire at the factory. Most of the victims are yet to be
identified because of the intensity of the blaze. But at least 17 were Chinese
and one was Laotian. Experts say foreign workers in the country face a
disproportionate risk of injury and death. And that they take on dangerous
jobs shunned by many young South Koreans. On Tuesday, China’s foreign
ministry said Beijing has called on South Korea to find the cause of the fire
as quickly as possible. The chief executive of the battery maker Aricell
apologized for the incident but said the company had complied with safety
rules.

The company will do its best to deal with this situation and will take on a
firm responsibility. In addition, we will sincerely work on the investigation
of the relevant authorities and will make every effort to follow up on the
exact cause of the accident and prevent recurrence.

The National Forensic Service, police and the fire department are holding a
joint investigation into the incident