Catastrophic factory fire claims 22 lives in South Korea.
A catastrophic factory fire that started after multiple lithium batteries burst has claimed the lives of at least 22 people in South Korea. The Aricell plant in Hwaseong city, roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Seoul, was the scene of the Monday morning fire. Little explosions could be seen in the local news feed as firefighters worked to put out the fire. A section of the roof had given way.
18 Chinese, one Laotian, and two South Korean employees had been identified as among the deceased, according to fire official Kim Jin-young. There was still one unidentified body to find. Most of the corpses have severe burns and it will take time to identify each one. According to news agency AFP, Mr. Kim stated, "It will take some time to identify each one because most of the bodies are badly burned." Out of the 100 persons who had been working when the fire started, three more people suffered injuries, two of them critically.
An estimated 35,000 battery cells were stored at the Aricell factory's second level, where they were also inspected and packaged. Mr. Kim stated that the fire started when several battery cells blew out, albeit it's still unknown what caused the first explosions. He clarified that the first difficulty in accessing the site was "caused by fears of additional explosions." Because lithium fires react violently to water, firemen had to put them out using dry sand to extinguish.
The blaze took several hours to get under control. Lithium batteries can explode if damaged or overheated. While a fire can be doused, it is nevertheless at risk of rekindling without notice due to chemical reactions.
