At least 16 dead in fire at lithium battery factory in South Korea

Seoul. At least 16 people were killed, seven injured and six missing in a fire at a lithium battery factory near the South Korean capital on Monday, according to official sources.

Rescue workers at the factory in the city of Hwaseong, south of Seoul, recovered the bodies after combing the site, local fire official Kim Jin-young said in a televised press conference.

Kim had previously stated that most of the missing people were foreigners, including Chinese.

He said the missing people’s cellphone signals were traced to the second floor of the factory. Kim said a witness told authorities the fire started when batteries exploded while workers were examining and packaging them, but the exact cause is still under investigation.

Kim said the dead probably had not managed to escape via the stairs to the ground floor. He said officials were investigating whether the fire-fighting systems were working.

Kim said a total of 102 people worked at the factory before the fire.

President Yoon Suk Yeol had previously ordered authorities to mobilize all available personnel and equipment to find survivors, his office said.

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