김승연
| 2026-03-20 22:44:34
(5th LD) car plant-fire
(5th LD) 14 unaccounted for in fire at Daejeon car parts plant
(ATTN: ADDS Lee's message in paras 16-18; ADDS new photo)
DAEJEON, March 20 (Yonhap) -- A fire broke out at a car parts plant in the central city of Daejeon on Friday, injuring at least 55 people, with 14 others unaccounted for, authorities said.
The fire was reported at around 1:17 p.m., prompting the National Fire Agency to issue a national firefighting mobilization order, which is given when the scale of the fire is deemed to surpass the firefighting capacity of the local government.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety ordered the formation of a central disaster response headquarters to handle the accident in a more coordinated manner and prevent further damage.
"The government will make the utmost effort to manage the situation, carry out recovery work and support the victims," Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said.
A total of 170 workers were inside the plant when the blaze started, and 14 of them have been unreachable, officials said.
Of the injured, including 24 with serious injuries, many had inhaled toxic gas or fallen from the building, they said.
More than 200 firefighters and 90 pieces of equipment have been deployed to the scene to put out the blaze, aided by helicopters from the forestry service.
Fire authorities said more than 95 percent of the fire had been extinguished as of around 8:30 p.m. They have yet to find the point of origin.
Firefighters have not been able to enter the structure due to concerns it could collapse. Also complicating the firefighting effort is 200 kilograms of sodium inside the building, which could explode if poorly handled.
Authorities said an inspection is underway to determine whether it is safe for firefighters to enter the building, adding they are ready to begin overnight search operations once conditions allow them to enter.
"Due to the risk of collapse, it is difficult to enter the building to fully extinguish the fire," said Nam Deuk-woo, chief of Daedeok Fire Station in Daejeon. "It is expected to take a long time to clear the smoldering debris."
Nam said the steel structures inside the building have been warped by the heat and that they have deployed unmanned firefighting robots to lower the temperatures inside. They are also using drones to locate the missing people and get an overview of the situation after the fire.
Most of people at the factory are believed to have been on the second floor where a break room for employees is located, as the fire broke out around break time.
The parking lot on the third floor and rooftop on the fourth floor have been most severely damaged by the fire.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources to rescue the victims and contain the fire, his office said.
In a social media post later, Lee expressed hope that the missing people will be accounted for as soon as possible.
"Authorities are making all-out efforts to contain the fire and carry out rescue operations," he said. "I hope that the safety of those still unaccounted for will be confirmed as soon as possible."
Lee pledged a thorough government assessment of the damage and to swiftly take steps for necessary support and follow-up measures, including efforts to prevent secondary accidents involving rescue workers on site.
Earlier, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok gave similar instructions to the interior ministry and the fire agency, while ordering the Daejeon metropolitan government and the police to ensure no further damage by implementing traffic control and evacuation measures.
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