Search continues for worker missing from battery plant fire

SEOUL, Rescue workers continued searching Tuesday for a worker still missing after a fire at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, one of the worst chemical plant accidents in the country. At least 22 workers, mostly Chinese nationals, were killed in the fire that gutted lithium battery maker Aricell's plant in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous day. Eight others also sustained injuries, two of them seriously. With one more worker remaining unaccounted for from the fire, the search operation has continued overnight inside the scorched plant. Fire authorities plan to mobilize 100 personnel and two rescue dogs during the day to continue the search. All deceased victims were found on the second floor of the plant, where the fire first started, while they were inspecting and packaging finished battery products. They included 18 Chinese, two Koreans and one Laotian, while the nationality of the remaining victim is unknown. A team of police, firefighters, forensic workers an d other government officials is set to launch a joint investigation at the fire site during the day to determine the cause of the accident. Police have requested autopsies on the bodies to determine the cause of death. Source: Yonhap News Agency