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One worker dead, another injured in Ulsan factory blaze

Published: 10 Feb. 2025, 13:17 Updated: 10 Feb. 2025, 18:37

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Smoke fumes out from a plant of United Terminal Korea in Ulsan on Feb. 10. [YONHAP]

A male worker in his 30s died after being found unconscious when a fuel tank exploded at a factory in Ulsan on Monday.

At around 11:15 a.m., a tank containing fuel at the United Terminal Korea factory in Ulsan exploded and caught fire.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday ordered the Interior Ministry, Industry Ministry, fire services and the city of Ulsan to mobilize all personnel and equipment to put out the blaze.

Fire authorities said that two male workers have been affected by the accident. One worker had a non-life-threatening injury, while the other was found unconscious and later died while receiving surgery at Ulsan University Hospital.

The victims were reportedly injured while escaping the fire and were found lying on the ground. They were tasked with inspecting the chemical compounds inside the tank. One of the compounds is alcohol-based and is used for producing paint and ink.

A police officer said the workers are from an "enterprise specializing in analyzing chemical compounds and they appeared to have been involved in the accident during sampling work" — a process of extracting compounds and checking their quality.

The tank in question weighted 1,500 tons and was 14.6 meters (48 feet) high. It contained flammable solvents, according to News1.

Fire authorities mobilized 40 fire extinguishers and 93 firefighting personnel to contain the blaze. The fire was fully extinguished at around 2:13 p.m.

Acting President Choi asked fire services to be cautious when containing the blaze, noting the safety of fire fighting personnel. He also asked police and the Ulsan city government to restrict people from accessing the site.

United Terminal Korea is a private enterprise that loads, stores and sends out chemical fluids.

Update, Feb. 10: Updated death of the worker
Update, Feb. 10: Updated details of the cause of the accident and the company

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]