22 people have died as a result of a massive explosion at a lithium battery facility in Hwaseong, South Korea; the majority of the victims were Chinese nationals, according to local fire officials quoted by Reuters. Due to the sad incident, two workers who suffered severe burns are in critical condition.
According to Al Jazeera, the fire at the Aricell facility started on Monday morning and burned out of control for more than four hours before firemen were able to put it out. About 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, or 10:30 a.m. in Korea, was when the inferno started. The explosion’s intensity caused the building to sustain substantial damage, resulting in parts of the upper level collapsing and the roof being weakened.
Approximately 100 individuals were on duty when the detonation occurred in a facility with approximately 35,000 battery units. This led to the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, advocating for priority to be given by responsible bodies to search and rescue operations as a result of this incident. The inability of the rescuers to reach the scene expeditiously due to factors like the high flammability of nickel (one of the materials present at the site) was underscored by Kim Jae-ho— a Professor in Fire and Disaster Engineering who highlighted that such difficulty access challenging conditions promptly.
Lithium-based batteries are highly vulnerable to a process called “thermal runaway,” which can be described as a highly dangerous sequence of events that ultimately culminates in an explosion. While the reason behind the Aricell explosion has not yet been established, potential causes may involve physical damage, defects within the product itself, or issues related to electricity— this is according to findings made by the US National Fire Protection Association.
The incident highlights the inherent hazards in the fabrication of lithium batteries and raises questions about industry safety procedures. The emphasis is still on worker safety and averting future tragedies while officials look into what caused this unfortunate incident. The world community keeps a careful eye out, expecting that safety protocols may evolve to better protect personnel handling such hazardous materials.
