Chungnam Governor Yang Seung-jo: "Thorough Investigation of Lotte Chemical Explosion Cause and Damage Compensation"... About 60 Injured

[Asia Economy (Naepo) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province has urged Lotte Chemical to prevent recurrence of the accident, investigate the cause, and compensate for damages related to the explosion and fire at Lotte Chemical's Daesan Plant in Seosan.

According to the province on the 5th, the explosion and fire occurred around 3 a.m. the previous day at the naphtha cracking center (NCC) of Lotte Chemical's Daesan Plant in Seosan.

After receiving the report, the fire authorities issued a Level 2 response and deployed about 270 personnel and 60 firefighting vehicles and equipment to the site to extinguish the fire. The initial extinguishment was confirmed around 5:11 a.m., about two hours after the explosion and fire occurred, and the complete extinguishment was confirmed at 9 a.m.

However, the accident resulted in the destruction of the interior and facilities of the Lotte Chemical plant, and about 60 people, including plant workers and residents near the plant, were injured. This number doubled from the initially reported 30 people on the day of the explosion and fire.

Accordingly, Chungnam Governor Yang Seung-jo visited the explosion and fire site on the 5th and emphasized, "A clear investigation to determine whether this was a man-made accident is necessary."

Governor Yang also stated, "Since accidents in petrochemical complexes can lead to large-scale casualties, the anxiety and fear felt by residents are very significant," adding, "We will inspect issues related to the repair and replacement of aging facilities to find the fundamental cause and strive to prevent recurrence of the accident. We will also work to ensure that compensation procedures for affected residents proceed smoothly."

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