Liquid Oxygen Leaks From Tanker After Tire Blowout in Suncheon; No Casualties Reported

An accident occurred at around 10:10 a.m. today (Nov. 1) on a road in Haeryong-myeon, Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, involving a leak of liquid oxygen from a tank truck.

Authorities attempted to move the tank truck to transfer the liquid oxygen to another vehicle, but a tire blew out, leaving the truck parked on the road with the leak ongoing for a while.

The vehicle, with its tire replaced, was later moved to a nearby gas company, and the transfer of the liquid oxygen was completed at 5:25 p.m.

At the time, the tank truck was carrying about 10,000 liters of liquid oxygen, and it was confirmed that approximately 5,000 liters leaked.

Fire authorities temporarily suspended operations at a nearby auto repair shop, controlled surrounding traffic, and took safety measures to allow the leaked liquid oxygen to naturally vaporize.

No casualties were reported.

While liquid oxygen is not flammable on its own, it supports combustion, posing an explosion risk if it comes into contact with sparks or fire.

Fire authorities believe the gas leaked due to a malfunction in the vehicle's safety device panel and are currently investigating the exact cause of the leak.

(Photo provided by Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Fire Headquarters, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.