President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday ordered authorities to "mobilize all available resources for life-saving operations and accident response" following an explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant.
"President Lee was briefed today on the explosion that occurred at a plant laboratory located in Daejeon," Presidential Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a press notice. She added that the president "instructed officials to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and to prepare measures to prevent recurrence."
According to fire authorities, witnesses called 119 to report that "an explosion was heard from the Hanwha Aerospace plant" and that "a lot of smoke was rising." More than 30 related reports were received. Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response, deploying 44 pieces of equipment and approximately 100 firefighters to extinguish the blaze.
According to police and fire authorities, the explosion has left five people dead and two injured so far. Among the injured, one suffered serious injuries (full-body burns) while the other sustained minor injuries.
