Last missing worker found dead as Hwaseong battery plant fire claims 23 lives

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Last missing worker found dead as Hwaseong battery plant fire claims 23 lives

Published: 25 Jun. 2024, 15:26 Updated: 25 Jun. 2024, 15:30

Firefighters and forensic workers conduct a joint investigation on Tuesday at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, where a fire broke out on Monday, resulting in 23 deaths. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The last missing worker's body was recovered Tuesday after a fire broke out at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Monday.

The recovery brings the total death toll to 23, including one worker who died en route to the hospital earlier Monday. Eight employees were injured during the incident, with two in critical condition.

The blaze began on the second floor of a three-story building owned by Aricell, a lithium battery manufacturer, in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong, around 10:31 a.m. Monday.

At least 22 confirmed dead in fire at Hwaseong battery factory

The additional body, believed to belong to the missing worker, was found at around 11:34 a.m. on Tuesday, according to police.

Rescue workers discovered the body under collapsed iron beams and other debris on the second floor, where all other bodies had been found. Due to its condition, the identity of the body has not yet been confirmed.

Around 100 firefighters and two rescue dogs were deployed to the scene on Tuesday after fire rescue teams failed to locate the body despite searching through the night.

With the recovery of the last missing body, all 23 workers initially reported trapped and unaccounted for during the first rescue efforts have now been found.

Of the 23 deceased, 18 people were foreigners, including 17 Chinese nationals and one Laotian, while five were Korean, according to police.

The deceased Koreans include a man in his 50s and a man in his 40s, the latter a naturalized citizen from China. The severe damage to the dead bodies has made it difficult to confirm the identities of other victims.

A team of police, firefighters, forensic workers and other government officials conduct a joint investigation at the fire site on Tuesday to determine the cause of the fire. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Fire authorities lowered the emergency response from level 2, the second-highest level, to level 1, the lowest, at 9:51 p.m. on Monday, 11 hours after its initial issuance due to the diminishing fire and stabilized building conditions.

Level 2 — which requires support from eight to 14 fire stations and the deployment of 51 to 80 pieces of fire equipment — was issued at 10:54 a.m. on Monday, less than 30 minutes after the fire started.

Although the cause of the fire is still being investigated, a worker who escaped from the fire told authorities that one of the batteries had exploded.

The second floor of the building had two doors leading outside, but the victims were seemingly unable to use them. They were believed to be inspecting and packaging finished lithium battery products when the fire broke out.

A team of police, firefighters, forensic workers and other government officials launched a joint investigation at the fire site around noon to determine the cause of the accident.

Following the investigation, rescue workers plan to resume their search inside the burnt plant to see if there are any other remaining victims.

The dead bodies are currently located at five different funeral halls in Hwaseong.

No mortuary has been set up yet, as the identities of most of the victims have not been confirmed.

Police have requested autopsies from the National Forensic Service to determine the causes of death.

BY LEE JI-YOUNG, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]