After a major factory fire that claimed the lives of over 20 workers on Tuesday, June 25, the CEO of South Korean lithium battery maker Aricell expressed regret. The workers at the second-floor position most likely lost consciousness and died in a matter of seconds as a result of the heavy smoke caused by the workplace fire that spread swiftly.
The number of fatalities increased to 23 after search dogs and firefighters searched the destroyed facility on Tuesday and discovered the final victim who had not been identified, according to a Reuters story.
Among the deceased were one Laotian and seventeen Chinese people. The majority of the employees at the plant were temporary hires.
CEO of Aricell Park Soon-kwan apologized to all those impacted by the accident and expressed his sorrow to the workers who lost their lives during a news conference.
“We will be conscientiously taking part in the investigation by authorities and will do our best to determine the cause of the accident and to take measures to prevent a repeat of such an accident,” Park stated to reporters.
He continued by saying that although Aricell had followed all safety protocols and received the necessary training, some of the 103 plant workers—including some of the people who lost their lives—were contract laborers sent by a personnel firm.
The tragedy on Monday was the most recent industrial mishap in South Korea, where, in spite of constant pleas for increased workplace safety, dozens of factory workers die at work every year.
“I ask the ministries of labor and industry and the National Fire Agency to conduct an urgent safety inspection and, where there is a concern of an accident, take immediate measures,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated during a cabinet meeting.
