A significant fire broke out at a South Korean lithium battery factory owned by Aricell on Monday, resulting in one confirmed death and 21 people unaccounted for.
The factory, located in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, was engulfed in flames, preventing immediate rescue operations, according to firefighter Kim Jin-young. Kim stated that 21 workers remain unaccounted for, and authorities plan to track their whereabouts using contact information provided by the company.
The blaze reportedly started after an explosion in a battery cell on the second floor, leading to a series of subsequent explosions, with the building containing an estimated 35,000 battery cells. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol has instructed authorities to mobilize all available resources for search and rescue operations.