About 20 bodies found at battery plant fire site: firefighters

Firefighters said the have recovered 20 bodies found at battery plant fire site.

A fire broke out at a primary lithium battery manufacturing plant, south of Seoul, on Monday, leaving at least one worker dead, three injured and 21 others unaccounted for, firefighters said, amid fears the death toll could rise significantly.

The blaze started at lithium battery maker Aricell's plant in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 10:30 a.m., they said, noting firefighting was still under way as of the early afternoon.

TV footage showed small explosions kept going off with showers of sparks in the burning plant.

The deceased worker was taken to a hospital after suffering cardiac arrest, while another was seriously injured and two sustained minor injuries, they said, adding at least 21 others are believed to be still stranded inside the plant.

The fire reportedly occurred for unknown reasons at the three-story, reinforced concrete building with a total floor space of about 2,300 square meters.

Firefighters are reportedly having difficulties completely putting out the blaze because burning lithium batteries are difficult to handle by conventional fire extinguishing methods.

One witness, who escaped from the second floor of the plant, told the Hwaseong Fire Station that an explosive combustion occurred in one battery cell at the time of the fire.

The station said the fire spread rapidly as the battery cells inside exploded continuously, making it difficult for rescuers to go inside and search. At least 35,000 batteries are believed to be inside the plant.

It said about 67 workers were on duty Monday, and there are 21 people who still remain out of contact, with fears there will be more casualties.

The government convened an emergency meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters in the afternoon to discuss measures to minimize casualties from the disaster.

At the meeting, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min asked all relevant government agencies and local governments to mobilize all available resources and personnel to extinguish the fire and rescue survivors.

Earlier, President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed Minister Lee to make all possible efforts to search for and rescue the missing people by mobilizing all available manpower and equipment.

-Yonhap