A fire at an auto parts factory in South Korea’s central city of Daejeon injured at least 53 people on Friday as officials warned the the number of those hurt could rise.
Nam Deuk-woo, fire chief of the city’s Daedeok district, said 24 of those people were seriously hurt and authorities were searching for least 14 others believed to have been inside the facility when the fire broke out.
Officials could not immediately confirm whether any of the injured were in life-threatening condition. Video from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex.
The fire was reported at about 1:17 p.m. and Nam said the cause was not immediately known, but the blaze appeared to have spread rapidly, with witnesses reportedly hearing an explosion.
He said the fire destroyed a factory building that firefighters were unable to enter because of concerns the structure could collapse. Efforts focused on preventing the blaze from spreading to an adjacent facility and removing chemicals from the site.
Some people were injured while jumping from the building during escape attempts, while others suffered from smoke inhalation, Nam said. Police were tracking mobile phone signals of the 14 people still unaccounted for.
More than 250 firefighters, police and other emergency personnel were deployed, along with about 100 vehicles and equipment.
President Lee Jae Myung called for the full mobilization of personnel and equipment to contain the fire and support rescue operations.
