The blaze occurred at a three-story building on Friday, March 20
Credit: Kim So-yeon/Yonhap via AP
NEED TO KNOW
- Fourteen people have died and nearly 60 others are injured after a fire broke out at a car parts factory.
- The fire broke out on Friday, March 20
- More than 500 emergency personnel responded, as workers jumped from windows to escape the blaze
Fourteen people have died and nearly 60 others are injured after a fire broke out at a car parts factory.
The incident took place in the South Korean city of Daejeon, which is around 100 miles away from the capital Seoul, on Friday, March 20, the Associated Press and The Guardian reported.
According to the AP, the blaze was likely started by an explosion.
Four people were initially reported missing, per the outlet. Firefighters later said that all the missing had been accounted for, according to The Guardian.
Credit: Kim So-yeon/Yonhap via AP
Among the many harmed, twenty-five people were seriously injured, the AP reported, citing the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Officials said some were injured when they jumped from the building. Others suffered from smoke inhalation, per the outlet.
Local fire chief Nam Deuk-woo told the AP the remains of one person were found on the second floor of the factory, while nine other bodies were found on the third floor, in what is believed to have been a gym.
Nam also told The New York Times that the blaze was so severe that by the time firefighters arrived, workers were already jumping out of the building’s windows.
More than 500 firefighters, police and emergency workers responded to the scene, per the AP.
More than 200 lbs. of highly reactive chemicals were recovered from the building, the AP reported.
Credit: Xinhua/Shutterstock
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Photos from the scene show huge plumes of thick black smoke billowing from the three-story factory. The fire was reported shortly before 1:30 p.m. local time on March 20.
Around 170 workers are believed to have been inside at the time, according to The Guardian.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for comment.
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