STORY: Twenty-two people have been confirmed dead after a large explosion set a lithium battery factory on fire in South Korea on Monday (June 24), local fire officials said.
The blaze started after a series of battery cells exploded inside a warehouse with some 35,000 units, a local fire official said.
What had triggered the explosion remains unclear.
The factory is run by battery manufacturer Aricell in Hwaseong, a major industrial cluster about 90 minutes southwest of the capital Seoul.
Parts of the factory's upper level had collapsed, and large chunks of the building had been blown out into the street.
Earlier smoke was captured billowing across the city skyline.
A Reuters witness saw firefighters moving up to six bodies out of the factory.
Eighteen Chinese workers and one Laotian were among the dead, local fire official Kim Jin-young told reporters, citing information from company officials.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the scene and was given a briefing by officials.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min called on the local authorities to prevent any hazardous chemicals from contaminating the area.
Kim Jae-ho, a Fire and Disaster Prevention professor at Daejeon University said battery materials like nickel are easily flammable, so the fire probably spread too quickly for workers to escape.
Aricell makes lithium primary batteries for sensors and radio communication devices. Calls to its offices went unanswered.
The company is not listed on South Korea's stock market but is majority owned by S-Connect, according to regulatory filings.
S-Connect is registered on the junior Kosdaq index and its shares closed down 22.5%.
South Korea is a major industrial economy and has made efforts to improve its safety record after several past accidents, many of which have been blamed on negligence.
