Explosion at S. Korea Chemical Plant Kills 1, Injures 4

An explosion in a silo at a South Korean chemical plant Wednesday killed one worker and left four others with injuries, South Korean news service Yonhap and Chinese state news service Xinhua reported separately.

A silo of Terephthalic acid, a raw material used to manufacture polyester, caught on fire at the Star Chemical plant in Gumi, South Korea as employees were carrying out a removal of the silo’s pipes at about 9:21 a.m. local time, according to Yonhap. Evidence suggests that the blast was caused by the explosion of an oxygen tank, reported Xinhua.

A worker was severely injured by the explosion and later died at an area hospital, Yonhap’s article said, four other employees received non-life-threatening injuries. The silo pipes were being removed as part of an effort to shut the plant down after it shuttered in January 2013 because of financial reasons, the South Korean news agency said.

The fire took 40 minutes to extinguish with the efforts of about 140 firefighers and 20 fire trucks, said Xinhua.

Investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the accident.