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A fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea has killed at least 22 people, including 19 foreign nationals, local officials have said.
The blaze broke out on Monday morning after a number of battery cells exploded at the Aricell plant in Hwaseong, an industrial city about 45km south of Seoul.
The blast occurred as workers were packing batteries at a two-story warehouse containing about 35,000 units, local fire official Kim Jin-young told a televised briefing. The cause of the explosion remained unclear, he added.
Most of the dead were foreigners, including 18 Chinese nationals and one person from Laos, according to officials. About 70 people were working at the plant at the time of the explosion. Eight were injured in the fire and one remained missing, the officials said.
President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the scene on Monday and told local authorities to mobilise all possible resources in the search and rescue effort, his office said in a statement.
Aricell, which was established in 2020, makes lithium batteries for sensors and radio communication devices, according to its regulatory filing. The company reported Won4.8bn ($3.5mn) in sales last year.
Shares in S-Connect, which owns a majority stake in Aricell, fell 23 per cent on Monday after news of the fire emerged.
An investigation would be launched into whether the company took sufficient measures to ensure workers’ safety, the labour ministry said.
South Korea, which is heavily dependent on manufacturing, has made efforts to improve its labour environment but industrial accidents remain frequent.
The country has one of the highest industrial death rates in the developed world despite heavy investment by companies to improve safety, with nearly 600 work-related fatalities reported last year, according to government data. Many leading manufacturers including Samsung Electronics, Posco and Hyundai Heavy Industries have been embroiled in health and safety disputes.
Samsung was recently investigated by the country’s nuclear safety authorities after two workers at its chip plant in Giheung, about 40km south of Seoul, were accidentally exposed to radiation last month. The company said it would work to prevent further accidents.
Dangerous working practices were tolerated during the country’s rapid economic development between the 1960s and 2000s. However, pressure from politicians and labour unions for improvements led to the passage of new safety legislation in 2021.
Under the law, business owners or senior executives will face at least a year in jail or a fine of up to Won1bn if they are found to have been negligent in enforcing safety measures following any fatal industrial accident.
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