Tragic Blaze At South Korean Lithium Battery Plant: 16 Dead, 6 Missing

 At least 16 people died on Monday and six others remained unaccounted for after a fire broke out at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, South Korea.

The fire broke out at battery manufacturer Aricell’s plant at around 10:30 a.m. local time on Monday.

Local fire officials told reporters 16 bodies have been recovered from the factory, along with four injured workers—including two in critical condition.

At least six people remain unaccounted for and according to officials, most of them are foreigners, including Chinese nationals.

The final death toll is likely to rise further, as Korean news agency Yonhap reported 20 bodies have been recovered so far, citing firefighters at the location.

According to Yonhap, the fire burned for more than four hours before being brought under control at around 3:10 p.m. local time.

Local authorities said the fire began after some battery cells exploded at the factory’s warehouse where 35,000 units were stored—although the cause of the explosions remains unclear.

Aricell is a lithium battery maker whose products are used in utility metering, medical and military-use devices, according to its website. The company is majority owned by South Korean metal processing firm S-Connect, whose Korean-listed shares plummeted sharply after the fire broke out on Monday and closed 22.5% down.

Lithium batteries are used to power electric vehicles and nearly all modern personal electronic devices like phones and laptops. While these batteries are designed with safety features in mind, they can be susceptible to catching fire or exploding when exposed to high temperatures, physically damaged or overcharged. Fires caused by lithium batteries can burn at intense temperatures and the use of water can intensify the blaze. The Korean fire authorities who put out the fire on Monday said they use “dry sand” instead of water. South Korea is one of the world’s key producers of lithium ion batteries—although like most other nations its production capacity is dwarfed by China.