Smoke rises from at a car parts factory in Daejeon, South Korea, 20 March 2026;
Credit: Yonhap via REUTERS
SEOUL (Reuters) - On Friday 20 March 2026, a fire broke out around lunchtime at a car parts factory in the South Korean city of Daejeon, leaving 10 people dead, 25 seriously injured and 34 with minor injuries, the country's safety ministry said on Saturday 21 March 2026.
Four other workers were still missing, and the government has activated a centralised disaster management system after President Lee Jae Myung ordered all available resources to be used to deal with the fire and save lives.
One of the dead was found on the second floor of the factory and nine others on the third floor, Yonhap reported, citing authorities.
The safety ministry said on Saturday in a statement the fire had been contained since 11:48 PM (15:48 CET) on Friday.
Fire officials said the car parts supplier that owned the factory was Anjun Industrial, which makes engine valves and is a supplier for Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp, among others, according to its website.
Officials at Anjun were not immediately available for comment.
