A fire tore through an auto parts factory in Daejeon, South Korea, on Friday, injuring at least 55 people and leaving at least 14 others unaccounted for. The National Fire Agency said 24 of the injured were seriously hurt, with the blaze likely caused by an explosion.
The fire was reported at about 1:18 p.m. local time in the city's Daedeok district. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion, though fire officials said the cause was not immediately known. Authorities could not confirm whether any of the injured were in a life-threatening condition.
According to AP News, the scale of the disaster became clear as details emerged about the building itself. Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the Daedeok district, said the fire destroyed a factory building that firefighters were unable to enter because of concerns it could collapse. The facility reportedly contained about 200 kilograms, roughly 440 pounds, of highly reactive chemicals.
Some of the injured jumped from the building to escape. Others suffered from smoke inhalation. The combination of structural instability, chemical hazard, and an active blaze created conditions that kept rescuers at a distance during the most critical hours.
More than 500 firefighters, police, and other emergency personnel were deployed to the scene, along with about 120 vehicles and two firefighting robots. Despite that massive response, the 14 people believed to have been inside the facility when the fire broke out remained unaccounted for as of late Friday evening. Police were tracking their mobile phone signals in an effort to locate them.
President Lee Jae Myung called for the full mobilization of personnel and equipment to contain the fire and support rescue operations. The directive signaled the severity of the incident, elevating it from a local emergency to one demanding national-level coordination.
Nam Deuk-woo noted that authorities were still actively searching for the missing individuals. The toll of 55 injured, officials warned, could still rise.
South Korea's industrial sector has faced recurring scrutiny over workplace safety, and an incident of this magnitude will inevitably sharpen that conversation. A factory storing hundreds of pounds of highly reactive chemicals, a building that firefighters could not enter for fear of collapse, workers forced to jump from the structure to survive: these are not details that suggest a minor oversight.
The cause remains officially undetermined, but the reported explosion and the presence of volatile chemicals will be central to any investigation. For now, the priority is the 14 people still missing. Every hour that passes without word narrows the window for good news.
Five hundred rescuers, 120 vehicles, two robots, and a presidential order. And still, 14 families are waiting for a phone call.