Explosion at Hanwha Aerospace Plant in Daejeon Kills Five, Injures Two

An explosion and subsequent fire at a Hanwha Aerospace plant in Daejeon killed five workers and injured two others on Monday. The incident took place on a production line handling rocket propellant. The two injured workers escaped the facility on their own, with one suffering severe burns, according to a fire official at a briefing.

Authorities have not yet identified the victims because their bodies were severely damaged, a health official stated at the same briefing. The cause of the blast remains under investigation. A Hanwha official said the explosion appeared to occur while water was being used to clean explosive material from tools.

Authorities were unable to obtain the factory layout because it is protected under national security laws.

Jae-il said the company bows its heads in apology to the victims and their families and pledged full cooperation with authorities. The five deceased included two temporary workers in their 20s, and all were employed by Hanwha, the company said. Hanwha Aerospace produces large propulsion engines and handles rocket propellants at the Daejeon site.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for mobilization of all available resources to respond to the accident and for an investigation, his office said in a text message to reporters. Shares in Hanwha Aerospace fell 2.8 percent in afternoon trade, while shares in holding company Hanwha Corp.

dropped 3.4 percent.