Five dead after explosion at Hanwha Aerospace plant in South Korea
An explosion and fire at a Hanwha Aerospace factory in Daejeon, South Korea, killed five people and injured two others on Monday, Reuters reports. The blast occurred on a production line for rocket propellant.
The cause is still under investigation, but a company official said during a briefing that the explosion appears to have occurred while water was being used to clean explosive material from tools on the propellant line, according to Reuters. The five dead, including two temporary workers, were all Hanwha employees. The two survivors escaped the facility themselves.
Investigators faced an early obstacle – the factory's layout is protected under South Korean national security laws, preventing authorities from accessing it in the immediate response.
Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il issued a public apology and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.
The Daejeon facility produces large propulsion engines and handles rocket propellants. Hanwha Aerospace is one of South Korea's major defence and aerospace manufacturers.
