DAEJEON (South Korea), March 21 — Ten people have been killed and four others are still reported missing in a large fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, authorities said Saturday. Another 59 people suffered serious or slight injuries, according to Yonhap news agency.
Firefighters have been searching for the four people who were unaccounted for when the blaze started.
One of the bodies was found on the second floor of the factory and nine others were found on the third floor, according to authorities.
A total of 170 workers were inside the plant when the fire was reported at around 1.17 pm on Friday.
Firefighters were earlier unable to enter the structure due to concerns it could collapse. Also complicating the firefighting effort was 200 kilogrammes of sodium inside the building, which could explode if poorly handled.
Authorities said they began overnight search operations at around 10:50 pm. on Friday after experts determined it was safe for firefighters to enter the building.
An official at the authorities said firefighters plan to make all-out efforts to rescue those who are unaccounted for.
“We plan to tear down the structures where the rescue dogs have already examined to deploy rescue workers and continue the search for those missing,” the official said.
