An explosion and subsequent fire on a South Korean production line for rocket propellant at a factory operated by Hanwha Aerospace in Daejon city left five dead and two injured on Monday, according to officials.
According to Reuters news agency, the fire broke out after the explosion at around 10:59 am local time at the plant located about 140 km south of South Korea’s capital Seoul.
A fire official said at a briefing that the two survivors, one of them being severely burned and in critical condition, had escaped from the facility themselves.
“Authorities have yet to identify the victims because their bodies were severely damaged,” said a health official at the briefing.
Investigations are ongoing to decipher the cause of the explosion.
An official said authorities were unable to obtain the plant’s layout as it was protected under national security laws.
Associated Press reported that emergency responders were deployed to the site immediately after the incident was reported.
According to a Hanwha official at a company briefing, workers were using water to clean explosive material from tools making rocket propellant at the time the blast appeared to have taken place.
Chief Executive Officer of Hanwha Aerospace Son Jae-il vowed to cooperate with the authorities to identify the cause of the incident.
“We bow our heads in apology to the victims and their bereaved families,” said Son.
The company confirmed that all victims were employed by Hanwha, including two temporary workers in their 20s.
South Koran President Lee Jae Myung’s office sent a text message to reporters, informing that the leader called for the mobilisation of all available resources to respond to the accident and for an investigation.
Meanwhile, Hanwha suffered at the stock market, with shares in Hanwha Aerospace falling 2.8% in afternoon trade while the shares of the holding company Hanwha Corp dropped 3.4%.
