14 killed in South Korea car plant fire

Seoul: Fourteen people were killed in a fire in a car parts factory in South Korea that also injured 59 others, authorities told AFP Saturday, updatin...

Seoul: Fourteen people were killed in a fire in a car parts factory in South Korea that also injured 59 others, authorities told AFP Saturday, updating a previous toll of 11 fatalities.

Fire crews were initially unable to enter the factory in the central city of Daejeon to look for survivors due to the risk of the building collapsing.

The response was also hampered by sodium stored at the site, which can explode if improperly handled, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Around 170 workers were at the plant when the fire broke out at about 1:00 pm (0400 GMT) Friday, according to Yonhap.Rescue members search for missing workers following a fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon on March 21, 2026. A fire at a South Korea car parts plant killed 10 people, authorities told AFP on March 21, with rescuers still searching for four missing. (Photo by YonhapP / AFP)

"We can confirm the latest death toll has risen to 14, with no one reported missing," an official from the interior ministry's department that handles fires and other disasters told AFP.