CHEONAN — Three people were killed when an explosion triggered a large fire at Daewonsanup in the Dongnam district of Cheonan, Chungcheongnam Province, on the 28th.
The Chungcheongnam Fire Headquarters said it received a report at 11:44 a.m. and dispatched crews, issuing a Level 1 response at 12:05 p.m. as firefighters began battling the blaze. The flames spread quickly to the factory building.
Firefighters found one body at the scene and transported it to a hospital, then discovered two more bodies of foreign nationals on the stairways of the sixth and eighth floors.
The first victim was identified as an employee in his 70s who worked in the cafeteria. Authorities are working to identify the two foreign nationals.
Daewonsanup manufactures industrial fatty acids used in products such as paint raw materials, with its headquarters and plant in Cheonan.
Fire and police authorities plan to investigate whether there were additional casualties and assess the extent of the damage once the fire is extinguished.
