About 20 lifeless bodies were found at the site of a fire at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, according to reports released by firefighters and reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The deceased are believed to be among the 23 people missing in the fire, with fears therefore that the toll could be even higher. Of these 23 missing, 20 were foreigners, mainly Chinese, although the list of workers was destroyed in the incredibly intense fire.
The fire broke out at lithium battery maker Aricell’s plant in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 10.30am, they said, noting that the main fire was under control by 3pm.
Earlier, television footage showed small explosions continuing to occur, showering sparks at the burning plant. This is what the fire looked like to rescuers:
Firefighters brought the fire under control around 3.10pm, Seoul time, around 7.10am in Italy, more than four hours after it started, and entered the plant to find the bodies.
Earlier in the day, another deceased worker died after being taken to hospital following cardiac arrest, while a second was seriously injured and two suffered minor injuries, they said.
The fire reportedly occurred for unknown reasons in the three-story, reinforced concrete building with a total area of approximately 2,300 square meters.
Firefighters reportedly had difficulty completely extinguishing the fire because burning lithium batteries are difficult to manage with conventional extinguishing methods. Let us remember that lithium battery fires, in theory, can be put out with water and foam, but the problem is the very high temperature that the batteries themselves can reach, which must be lowered using significant quantities of water.
Rescue vehicles at the factory on fire
A witness, who escaped from the second floor of the plant, told the Hwaseong Fire Station that at the time of the fire there wasi explosive combustion occurred in a battery cell.
Firefighters confirmed that the fire spread quickly as battery cells inside continually exploded, making it difficult for rescuers to enter and search. At least 35,000 batteries are believed to be located within the facility.
The Government has called an emergency meeting of the Disaster and Security Countermeasures Headquarters this afternoon to discuss measures to minimize casualties from the disaster.
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