About 200 Response Personnel, Over 80 Firefighting Vehicles
One Missing Person Out of Contact, Overnight Search Underway
Prosecutors and Police Joint Investigation Team, Morning Joint Forensic Examination with Relevant Ministries
Identity Difficult to Confirm, National Forensic Service Requested Autopsy
The government is focusing on managing the situation at the site after a fire at a factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, resulted in the deaths of 22 workers. Although the fire was initially extinguished, the bodies recovered were severely damaged, making it difficult to even identify the deceased. On the 25th, the fire authorities are conducting additional searches for one missing person who has been out of contact.
According to the situation report from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the same day, a total of 30 casualties (as of 6 a.m.) were confirmed from the accident at a primary battery manufacturing factory in Jeongok-ri, Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, which occurred at 10:31 a.m. the previous day. Among them, 22 were confirmed dead, 2 seriously injured, and 6 lightly injured.
The fire authorities have deployed about 100 personnel and 2 rescue dogs since the previous day to conduct overnight search operations to find the one missing person who has lost contact. The fire authorities plan to continue the search for survivors until the missing person is found.
After the accident occurred the previous day, the government activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to manage the site. Nine minutes after the fire broke out, at 10:40 a.m. the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters issued Response Level 1, which was escalated to Response Level 2 at 10:54 a.m. The emergency alert was lifted at 12:42 a.m. past midnight on the same day. A total of 201 personnel and 81 firefighting vehicles were mobilized for the accident response.
The prosecution and police have begun follow-up measures such as identifying the victims and determining the causes of death. The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office formed a dedicated investigation team with seven prosecutor offices, including the Public Investigation Division and the Criminal Division 3, the previous day. The investigation team conducted direct autopsies at five locations, including hospitals and funeral homes where the bodies were kept, to determine the causes of death.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency also organized a dedicated investigation headquarters of about 130 personnel, led by the head of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit. The investigation headquarters plans to conduct a joint on-site inspection starting at 10:30 a.m. on the same day with the fire authorities, the National Forensic Service, the Korea Land and Housing Corporation, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency to determine the cause of the fire.
Currently, the deceased have been distributed and laid to rest at five locations, including Hwaseong Songsan Funeral Culture Center, Hwaseong Funeral Culture Center, and Hambaksan Memorial Park. Most of the bodies are severely damaged, and identification has not been possible, so no mourning halls have been set up. The police have requested autopsies from the National Forensic Service today to determine the causes of death of the victims.
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