▲ The scene of the fire at a paint raw material factory in Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province
Regarding the explosion and fire at Daewon Industrial, which left three company employees dead and one injured, officials have secured statements indicating that "production process valves were being inspected" at the time of the accident.
According to the South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency and the Cheonan Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, police and labor authorities are conducting reference witness interrogations of the company's production process manager, other officials, and staff.
Police, having questioned three people as references so far, have reportedly secured statements to the effect that "work had been stopped just before the accident, causing most employees to move outside the building, while a few remained behind to inspect the valves."
Based on this, police are focusing on investigating company officials to determine specific work details and whether safety training and measures were appropriately implemented at the time of the work.
Ahead of a joint inspection by relevant agencies scheduled for the morning of August 31, police conducted access control, installed police lines, and photographed the site this morning to prevent any alteration of the accident scene.
Labor authorities, having formed a dedicated 15-member investigation team, are also analyzing the evidence secured alongside reference witness interrogations.
To date, no individuals have been booked by police or labor authorities.
According to fire authorities, the accident is presumed to have started in a 9-story tallow refining tower above ground, which was found to be equipped with facilities for extracting and refining tallow (animal fat), a flammable substance.
Investigative authorities have also reportedly secured statements from some witnesses who said "sparks were seen on the 5th floor of this building," but the exact cause of the fire and the point of ignition are expected to be determined through the joint inspection.
An official from the investigative authorities stated, "Given the elongated structure of the building, it is difficult to jump to conclusions about the point of ignition based solely on witness statements," adding, "We plan to synthesize the findings from the joint inspection investigation to consider the direction of the investigation and whether or not to book related personnel, as well as the scale."
At 11:44 a.m. yesterday, an explosion and fire occurred at Daewon Industrial located in Dongnam-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, killing three employees.
Among them, two were confirmed to be Philippine nationals.
In addition, another employee in their 30s of Philippine nationality was transported to the hospital with second-degree burns across their entire body, and a firefighter at the scene sustained a wrist injury from falling debris.
Daewon Industrial manufactures fatty acids required for various industries such as tires and paint raw materials, and has its headquarters and factory in Cheonan.
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