Hanwha Aerospace says explosion likely occurred during gunpowder cleaning after 7 casualties

An explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon Plant on June 1 killed five people and injured two others. Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn said he was devastated by the news that employees who had been doing their best at work had been killed and injured, and vowed to mobilize the group's full resources to handle the aftermath. The group also formed a Special Response Task Force led by Vice Chairman Yeo Seung-ju.
According to fire authorities and police, a report came in at around 10:59 a.m. that a blast and fire had broken out at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon Plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The site is a defense facility responsible for the production and research and development of tactical weapons and large propulsion systems.
Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at 11:17 a.m. and deployed more than 100 personnel and over 30 pieces of equipment to extinguish the blaze. The main fire was brought under control about 50 minutes after it started, and the fire was fully extinguished at around 1:07 p.m. after mop-up work. The Level 1 response was lifted at around 1:08 p.m.
Investigators believe there were seven people at the scene at the time of the accident. Five were found dead inside the worksite. The other two escaped on their own immediately after the explosion, but were rescued with burn injuries and taken to hospital. One of the injured is in critical condition with burns over the entire body. The other suffered relatively minor burns to the neck and was discharged after treatment.
It is expected to take time to identify the victims. In a briefing, Yuseong-gu Public Health Center chief Kim Joo-yeon said, "The bodies are so badly damaged that it is difficult to identify them at the scene," adding, "I understand that contact has been made with the National Forensic Service for identification."
The site of the tragedy was the cleaning room in Building 56 at the Daejeon Plant, where equipment and tools coated with propellant are washed with water and detergent. A Hanwha Aerospace official explained, "Various tools and equipment are used in the process of making propellant, and there is a process to clean and wash off gunpowder residue and other materials stuck to them," adding, "We believe the incident occurred there." The official also said, "Gunpowder becomes more stable when it comes into contact with water, so the process was not normally classified as a special high-risk area," and added, "It is difficult at this point to determine whether an explosion could have occurred, so on-site verification is needed."
The worksite was almost completely destroyed by the fire that followed the explosion. As the facility is a National Protected Facility, disclosure of specific work details and building structure is restricted. Police and fire authorities plan to secure building blueprints and other materials from Hanwha officials to investigate the exact cause of the blast and whether safety rules were followed. Fire authorities said they will need to conduct a safety inspection of the debris and structure before discussing whether to remove the wreckage.
Hanwha Group and Hanwha Aerospace issued a statement saying, "We pray for the souls of the employees who died in the accident at the Daejeon Plant and offer our deepest condolences to their bereaved families," and added, "We wish the injured employees a speedy recovery and will spare no support for their treatment." They continued, "We will thoroughly determine the cause of the accident so that such a devastating tragedy never happens again," and said, "Once again, we bow our heads and offer our deepest apologies to the public."
spring@fnnews.com Lee Bomi Kim Dong-ho Reporter