HWASEONG, South Korea –
A lithium battery factory in South Korea was set on fire after several batteries exploded on Monday, killing 22 workers, most of them Chinese nationals, fire officials said.
The fire and a series of explosions ripped through primary battery maker Aricell’s factory in Hwaseong, an industrial cluster southwest of the capital Seoul.
The victims likely succumbed to extremely toxic gas within seconds of the fire spiraling out of control, officials said. It was unclear what caused the explosions and the fire was largely extinguished in about six hours.
