Five people were injured when Freon gas leaked from a Russian-flagged fishing vessel docked at a shipyard in Busan's Gamcheon Port. Two of them, who were taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest, have since regained spontaneous circulation.
According to the Busan Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, the leak occurred at about 8:37 a.m. on the 15th aboard a 769-ton Russian-flagged fishing boat berthed at a shipyard in Gamcheon-dong, Saha-gu, Busan.
A 43-year-old crew member and a 57-year-old refrigeration engineer were taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Both later regained spontaneous circulation, with one of them recovering consciousness and the other regaining breathing.
The 59-year-old captain and a 33-year-old crew member complained of dizziness, while a 21-year-old crew member was taken to a hospital with rib pain.
Fifteen Russian crew members were aboard the vessel at the time of the accident, and the remaining 10 evacuated on their own. Fire authorities deployed 30 personnel and 11 pieces of equipment, including ambulances, for the rescue operation.
Freon is a colorless, odorless gas used as a refrigerant in appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Heavier than air, it poses a risk of suffocation when it leaks in an enclosed space.
Fire authorities believe the gas leaked while refrigerant work was under way on the vessel and are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.
