President Yoon Issues Emergency Order for "Full Effort in Life Search and Rescue" in Hwaseong Fire

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a memorial speech at the 69th Memorial Day Ceremony held on the 6th at the National Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol gave an urgent order to "mobilize all available personnel and equipment to fully focus on search and rescue operations" following the fire at a battery manufacturing plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province on the 24th, which resulted in multiple casualties.

According to Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, President Yoon issued this directive to the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the Fire Agency Commissioner after receiving the report of the Hwaseong fire that day.

President Yoon also urged, "Considering the rapid spread of the fire, please ensure thorough safety measures for the firefighters."

According to fire authorities, the fire broke out at around 10:31 a.m. at Arisel, a primary battery manufacturing company located in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

As of now, one person is in cardiac arrest, one person is seriously injured, and five others have sustained minor injuries due to the fire.

It is reported that 19 people are trapped inside the factory. Since many individuals are unreachable, the fire authorities believe there is a possibility of more casualties.

The fire department has issued a Level 2 response alert (mobilizing 31 to 50 pieces of equipment from 3 to 7 fire stations) and is currently extinguishing the fire with 145 personnel including firefighters and 50 pieces of equipment such as pump trucks.

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