Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency Forms Dedicated Investigation Unit for 'Arisel Fire'

One-on-One Dedicated Support for Bereaved Families and Injured Persons

The police have formed a dedicated investigation headquarters to probe the fire accident at Arisel, a primary battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, which resulted in multiple casualties.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency announced on the 24th that it had organized an investigation headquarters to investigate the Arisel factory fire accident. The investigation headquarters will be led by the head of the Gyeonggi Nambu Metropolitan Investigation Unit and will consist of about 130 personnel. This includes 35 members of the Criminal Mobile Unit, 25 detectives from Hwaseong West Police Station, and 35 members of the Forensic Investigation Unit.

On the afternoon of the 24th, a fire broke out at a primary battery manufacturing company located in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, resulting in 6 casualties and 23 missing persons. Firefighters are conducting search operations for the missing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, 25 staff members from the Victim Protection Division have been deployed to provide one-on-one support to the bereaved families and the injured, assisting with administrative procedures and other needs.

A police official stated, "We plan to fully support necessary areas such as site restoration and rescue operations," adding, "We will also expedite the identification of the deceased through urgent DNA analysis."

Meanwhile, the fire broke out at around 10:31 a.m. at the Arisel factory located in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province. So far, it has been confirmed that more than 20 people have died and 7 have been injured. The fire department issued a Level 2 preemptive response due to the fire occurring at a hazardous chemical handling factory and concerns over casualties and fire spread, and conducted firefighting operations. The major flames were brought under control around 3:10 p.m., 4 hours and 40 minutes after the fire started, and rescue teams were deployed.