Workers were trapped inside Fire in battery factory claims at least 20 lives in South Korea

A fire in a battery factory in South Korea has trapped several workers in the building: Firefighters have discovered 20 bodies so far.

As a result of a major fire at a lithium battery manufacturing factory in South Korea, rescue workers have found the bodies of around 20 people, according to media reports.

Update: According to a new report, at least 16 people have been killed. Seven people suffered injuries and six were still missing, according to the authorities.

Rescue workers had discovered them in the affected building in the city of Hwaseong, south of Seoul, South Korean broadcasters and the national news agency Yonhap reported today, citing the fire department. Initially, 23 people were thought to be missing. Most of them were foreign workers. It is feared that the number of victims could rise further.

The fire had trapped numerous workers in the multi-storey factory building. It was initially unclear how many of them were affected. Rescue workers had tried to reach them after the fire broke out. At least one person was initially reported dead.

Several people were also injured. South Korean television showed flames and thick clouds of smoke coming out of the building. There had been several small explosions in the burning building. The fire broke out in the morning for an initially unknown reason.

SDA