At least 22 dead in lithium battery manufacturing plant explosion and fire

An accident at a battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong, South Korea, has killed at least 22 workers. The incident occurred at an Aricell manufacturing plant near Seoul when several lithium batteries exploded, causing the fire. Tessa Wong and Flora Drury for BBC News are reporting that most of the deceased workers were foreign nationals, with 18 workers from China, two from South Korea, and one from Laos. One body has yet to be identified, and other workers may still be missing.

Choe Sang-Hun for The New York Times wrote that two additional workers were hospitalized with serious injuries, while six other employees suffered minor injuries. Officials from the Hwaseong Fire Department believe that 102 people had been working in the factory when the incident occurred.

CBS News is reporting that mobile phone signals of the victims were tracked to the second floor of the factory, where employees were examining and packaging the batteries. The cause of the battery explosion has yet to be determined, and investigators are still trying to identify whether fire extinguishing systems worked as designed.

According to Daewoung Kim, Hongji Kim, and Hyunsu Yim for Reuters, officials are saying that the affected workers likely succumbed to extremely toxic gas within seconds of the blaze getting out of control. Additionally, Gyeonggi province fire official Cho Sun-ho speculated that since most of the foreign workers were temporary hires, they may have been unfamiliar with the building and unable to escape.

Gawon Bae and Yoonjung Seo for CNN wrote that Yoon Suk Yeol, President of South Korea, ordered the Interior and Safety Ministry and the head of the fire department to mobilize all possible personnel and equipment to aid in the rescue mission.