'Like Bombed' Broken and Bent... Chaos Around Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant

On the 4th, an explosion and fire at Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant in Seosan-si, Chungnam caused the glass windows of nearby restaurants to shatter and door frames to bend. Photo by Jeong Il-woong

[Asia Economy (Seosan) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “I felt the tremor even from 7 to 8 km away and woke up from sleep. What on earth is going on...” Mr. A (60) shook his head with a sigh. Mr. A was sleeping at his home in Hwagok-ri, Daesan-eup, Seosan-si, Chungnam, when he woke up around 3 a.m. The vibration, as if an earthquake had occurred, and household items crashing to the floor woke him up.

After some time, Mr. A was able to understand the situation through an emergency disaster message. The message, sent by Seosan City, informed about an explosion fire at the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant and urged residents to ensure their safety.

Mr. A said, “I only understood the situation after seeing the message from the city,” adding, “The distance between my home (Hwagok-ri) and the explosion fire site is quite far, but I thought the damage must be considerable if it felt like this.”

On the 4th, the front windshield of a truck broken by an explosion and fire was being replaced in a vacant lot near the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant in Seosan. / Photo by Jeong Il-woong

His concerns became reality. Mr. A, who works in freight truck transportation, moved to an open lot near the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant around 8 a.m. and was shocked to see his 15-ton truck, which he had parked overnight. He personally confirmed that the sturdy front windshield was shattered and the cover of the ceiling light inside was weakly thrown onto the driver’s seat.

Mr. A said, “It was actually harder to find trucks or forklifts that were intact around here,” and added, “The shockwave I felt at home must have been even stronger in front of the Daesan Plant. I expected some damage, but I never imagined it would be this bad,” exhaling deeply.

On the 4th, the front windshield of a forklift was shattered due to an explosion and fire at Lotte Chemical. The broken windshield is placed on the forklift's carrying rack. Photo by Jeong Il-woong

He continued, “Since I came to Seosan in 2003, I remember one or two accidents at Lotte Chemical, but this is the first time it has been this devastating,” and gave a wry smile, saying, “It’s as if someone bombed the entire Daesan Plant area and passed through.”

Indeed, residents cleaning up broken windows and glass shards were easily seen around the Daesan Plant area. Also, steel frames supporting the entrance doors of building cafeterias were found bent or broken in various places. This scene indirectly conveyed the fear and terror experienced by residents near the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant during the early morning explosion fire.

Within about a 1 km radius from the main gate of the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant, it was actually harder to find intact buildings. Mr. B (54), who works at an architectural office opposite the main gate of the Daesan Plant, said, “(After the explosion fire) I expected some damage when I left home,” but added, “Seeing the damaged and broken commercial buildings along the road felt like a dream?I couldn’t believe it,” expressing his dismay.

Also, Mr. C (56), who runs a nearby restaurant, said, “We can’t operate at all,” adding, “For now, we’ll have to spend time cleaning inside and outside the restaurant, but who will take responsibility for all this damage? Seosan City and Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant must quickly assess the damage to nearby merchants and residents and take (compensation) measures,” raising his voice.

On the 4th, officials from Seosan City Hall and Seosan Fire Department are assessing the damage situation near the restaurant area close to Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant. / Photo by Jeong Il-woong

Meanwhile, according to Chungnam Province and Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant, the explosion fire occurred around 3 a.m. on the 4th at the naphtha cracking plant compressor house within the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant. At the time of the fire, a loud roar and a pillar of flame were reported.

The fire department immediately issued a response level 2 alert after the fire broke out and dispatched about 270 firefighters and 66 fire trucks and equipment. They controlled the major fire around 5:11 a.m., about two hours after the fire started, and completely extinguished it by around 9 a.m.

No fatalities occurred from this fire, but 35 people were injured. Among them, two suffered serious burns and are being treated at a university hospital in Cheonan. The other 33 injured people sustained minor injuries and were transported to Seosan Central Hospital and other facilities.

Seosan City is currently investigating the damage and environmental pollution in cooperation with related agencies such as the Geumgang River Basin Environmental Office and the Seosan Chemical Disaster Joint Disaster Prevention Center. They are also operating a damage situation room at the Daesan-eup Office to assess human and material damage.

Lotte Chemical has currently suspended operations at 7 of the 10 facilities within the Daesan Plant, and the schedule for resuming operations will be determined according to the maintenance status of the naphtha cracking center.

On the 4th, due to an explosion and fire at Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant, the exterior wall of a nearby factory in the form of a temporary building was crumpled and peeled off like a sheet of paper. / Photo by Jeong Il-woong

On the 4th, office staff are cleaning up broken glass shards in front of an office building near the Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant, which was damaged by an explosion and fire. Photo by Jeong Il-woong

On the 4th, factory officials are controlling vehicle access at the main gate of Lotte Chemical Daesan Plant. / Photo by Jeong Il-woong

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.