Body of missing worker found after Yeongcheon factory explosion

The body of an employee who went missing during a chemical plant explosion in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang, was recovered Monday, about nine hours after the fire was brought under control.

A fire breaks out a cosmetics factory in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang, on Aug. 3. [YONHAP]

YEONGCHEON, North Gyeongsang — The body of an employee who went missing during a chemical plant explosion in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang, was recovered Monday, about nine hours after the fire was brought under control.

An unidentified body was discovered at 6:58 a.m. Monday in the second building of a cosmetics ingredient manufacturing plant located in Guam-ri, Geumho-eup, Yeongcheon, according to the North Gyeongsang Fire Department.

Police suspect the deceased is a 45-year-old factory employee who went missing during Sunday's explosion. The body was transferred to a local funeral home, and the National Forensic Service has been asked to conduct a formal identification.

The fire began with a large explosion at 12:43 p.m. Sunday. Fifteen minutes after receiving the emergency call, local authorities issued Level 1 of the fire response protocol, mobilizing all personnel at the jurisdictional fire station.

Flames quickly spread to surrounding buildings, including the factory’s dormitory, and the blast was powerful enough to be heard some six kilometers (3.73 miles) away in downtown Yeongcheon. A convenience store about 300 meters (984 feet) from the plant had its windows shattered, and apartment windows nearby shook from the shock wave.

Firefighters had difficulty entering the site due to intense flames and highly corrosive vapors. The factory was found to produce chemical substances like hydrogen peroxide, an oxidizing agent that can ignite or explode when heated or exposed to metal catalysts.

A fire breaks out at a chemical manufacturing plant in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang, on Aug. 3. According to the North Gyeongsang Fire Department, the blaze began around 12:43 p.m. at a cosmetics ingredient manufacturing facility in the Chaesin Industrial Complex in Geumho-eup. As of 3:30 p.m., one man had sustained severe burns to the face, while two others suffered minor injuries. One employee was reported missing. [YONHAP]

The fire left one worker with severe facial burns and two others with minor injuries. Of the 11 people working at the plant on Sunday, 10 managed to escape or were rescued. The remaining person was reported missing immediately after the incident.

The fire was brought under initial control by 6:13 p.m. Sunday and fully extinguished by 9:53 p.m. Search operations resumed at 6:30 a.m. Monday with 36 personnel and 10 apparatuses, leading to the discovery of the deceased worker.

Authorities plan to conduct a joint investigation into the cause of the explosion on Tuesday.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY KIM JUNG-SEOK [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]