More victims identified in Hwaseong battery factory fire, total now 17
![Family members of victims of the battery factory fire in Hwaseong weep at a memorial altar set up at Hwaseong City Hall on Wednesday. The fire, which broke out on Monday morning, resulted in 23 deaths. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/06/27/ecdd1239-f965-4da0-a87e-69191d5aa953.jpg)
Family members of victims of the battery factory fire in Hwaseong weep at a memorial altar set up at Hwaseong City Hall on Wednesday. The fire, which broke out on Monday morning, resulted in 23 deaths. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Fourteen more sets of remains from Monday’s deadly battery factory fire in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, were identified as of Wednesday night, raising the total identified victims to 17.
Gyeonggi fire authorities announced on Thursday morning that as of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, the National Forensic Service confirmed the identities of three more victims through DNA analysis, all of whom were women of Chinese nationality.
This brings the total number of identified victims from the devastating fire at the lithium battery maker Aricell’s factory, which claimed 23 lives, to 17.
The first round of DNA results, announced at 6 p.m. Wednesday, identified 11 victims — nine Chinese nationals, one Korean and one Laotian, bringing the total identified to 14.
Earlier, three Koreans were identified using their intact fingerprints, which expedited the process.
For two of the three recently identified Chinese nationals, DNA was collected from personal items such as toothbrushes instead of the typical method of matching with family members' DNA.
When there are delays in obtaining DNA from families, alternative methods are employed to expedite identification.
However, additional tests comparing the victims' DNA with their families' will be conducted to verify their identities, police said.
"Families of the victims have been notified of the identity confirmation," a police spokesperson said.
According to police reports confirming the nationalities of the 23 victims, five Chinese nationals and one local resident are still left to be identified.
A search and seizure operation was conducted on Wednesday targeting three companies linked to the fire, hoping to determine the cause of the fire and ensure accountability for those responsible.
BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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