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Daejeon Auto Parts Plant Blast and Fire Kills 14 in South Korea

With searches complete, investigators are focusing on stored reactive chemicals after a nationwide firefighting mobilization.

Overview

  • Authorities confirmed 14 fatalities and roughly 59–60 injuries, with all previously missing workers found.
  • The fire erupted around 1:17 p.m. local time at an Anjun Industrial facility in Daejeon while about 170 employees were inside.
  • Rescue operations faced collapse risks and hazardous materials, including about 200 kilograms of sodium, which delayed interior access.
  • The National Fire Agency ordered a state-level mobilization, and crews extinguished the blaze after roughly ten and a half hours.
  • President Lee Jae-myung visited the site and hospitals as an inquiry into the cause—reportedly preceded by an explosion—gets underway; the plant supplies automakers such as Hyundai and Kia.