A fire at the Aricell factory in Hwaseong, South Korea, has resulted in at least 22 fatalities, with several individuals still unaccounted for. Efforts are ongoing to locate missing persons and support the victims’ relatives.
A fire at a lithium battery factory near Seoul, South Korea, has resulted in at least 22 fatalities, with eight others injured and several individuals still unaccounted for. The incident occurred at the Aricell factory in Hwaseong, south of the capital, on Monday at approximately 10:31 am local time.
Local fire official Kim Jin-young reported that the deceased includes 18 Chinese nationals, two South Koreans, and one Laotian, with one person’s nationality still unconfirmed. Among the injured, two are in critical condition. Efforts to locate missing persons involved tracking their mobile phone signals to the factory’s second floor, where the fire initially broke out following a series of battery cell explosions.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has instructed officials to utilize all available resources for search and rescue operations. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min visited the site, pledging governmental support for funeral services and victim relatives. South Korea is a significant exporter of lithium batteries, integral to various electronic devices and electric vehicles.
