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Five dead in Hanwha Aerospace explosion in South Korea
🇰🇷 South Korea /Disasters & Emergencies

Five dead in Hanwha Aerospace explosion in South Korea

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • An explosion occurred at a Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon, South Korea, resulting in five deaths and two injuries.
  • The blast is suspected to have happened during the cleaning of tools used for rocket fuel injection, in an area separate from the main rocket manufacturing line.
  • Hanwha Aerospace has established an emergency response headquarters and is cooperating with authorities to investigate the cause and prevent recurrence, while assessing potential production impacts.

An explosion at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon facility has claimed the lives of five employees and left two others injured. The blast, which occurred around 10:59 AM, is believed to have originated during the cleaning process of tools used in solid rocket fuel injection. The affected area is reportedly separate from the main rocket manufacturing line, initially suggesting no immediate impact on production.

The explosion appears to have occurred during the process of cleaning pipes used for injecting solid rocket fuel, which is a viscous substance.

— Hanwha Aerospace representativeExplaining the suspected cause of the explosion.

Despite this, the company has set up an emergency response headquarters at the site. CEO Son Jae-il has traveled to the scene from the Seoul headquarters. Hanwha Aerospace is prioritizing support for the victims and their families while working with fire and police authorities to determine the exact cause of the explosion and implement measures to prevent future incidents.

The explosion occurred in a separate location from the rocket manufacturing line, so it seems there will be no disruption to rocket production.

— Hanwha Aerospace representativeAddressing the immediate impact on production.

"We are deeply saddened and regretful that five of our precious employees have died," Hanwha stated in a release. The company offered condolences to the bereaved families and pledged full support for the injured employees' recovery. They also apologized to the public and vowed a thorough investigation into the accident's cause to ensure such a "devastating accident" does not happen again.

We are deeply saddened and regretful that five of our precious employees have died.

— HanwhaExpressing sorrow over the fatalities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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