14 unaccounted for in fire at Daejeon car parts plant
Fire authorities are on the scene of a fire that broke out at a car parts plant in the central city of Daejeon on Friday, injuring at least 53 people, with 14 others unaccounted for. Photo by Yonhap
A fire broke out at a car parts plant in the central city of Daejeon on Friday, injuring at least 53 people, with 14 others unaccounted for, authorities said.
The fire was reported at around 1:17 p.m., prompting the National Fire Agency to issue a national firefighting mobilization order, which is given when the scale of the fire is deemed to surpass the firefighting capacity of the local government.
A total of 170 workers were inside the plant when the blaze started, and 14 of them have been unreachable, officials said.
Of the injured, including 24 with serious injuries, many had inhaled toxic gas or fallen from the building, they said.
More than 200 firefighters and 90 pieces of equipment have been deployed to the scene to put out the blaze, aided by helicopters from the forestry service.
Of the two buildings making up the plant, one has completely burned down, while the other is still burning. Firefighters have not been able to enter the structure due to concerns it could collapse.
Also complicating the firefighting effort is 200 kilograms of sodium inside the building, which could explode if poorly handled.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources to rescue the victims and contain the fire, his office said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok gave similar instructions to the interior ministry and the fire agency, while ordering the Daejeon metropolitan government and the police to ensure no further damage by implementing traffic control and evacuation measures.
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