Eighteen Chinese among 22 dead in South Korea battery factory fire

Twenty-two people were killed including 18 Chinese nationals - in a massive fire at a South Korean lithium battery factory, the fire department said on June 24, one of the country's worst factory disasters in years.

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Over 100 people were working in the factory when workers heard a series of explosions from the second floor, where lithium-ion batteries are inspected and packaged, firefighter Kim Jin-young told the media. The plant is located in Hwaseong city, just south of Seoul.

In the massive blaze that ensued, 22 people were killed, including 20 foreign nationals - 18 Chinese, one from Laos, and one of unknown nationality, he said.

"Most of the bodies are badly burned so it will take some time to identify each one," he added.

Firefighters are still searching for one more person who remains unaccounted for, he said, adding that they had managed to contain the largest blaze at the plant and get inside.

Firefighters were "doing cooling operations to prevent the fire from expanding to nearby factories", Mr Kim said.

Initial investigations indicate that the fire spread in a matter of seconds, with toxic fumes quickly overwhelming workers in the area, said Mr Cho Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi fire department.