11 dead in South Korea car plant fire

Rescuers combed the charred wreckage of a South Korean car parts factory for missing people after a fire killed at least 11 and injured dozens more, authorities told AFP on Saturday.

Fire crews were initially unable to enter the factory in the central city of Daejeon due to the risk of the building collapsing. 

The response was also hampered by sodium stored at the site, which can explode if improperly handled, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. 

Around 170 workers were at the plant when the fire erupted at about 1:00 pm (0400 GMT) Friday, according to Yonhap.

"We understand that 11 are dead, 25 are seriously injured," an official from the interior ministry's department that handles fires and other disasters told AFP.

"We also understand that 34 have been injured but not in a serious condition, and three are still missing," he added.

Officials have not said what may have caused the fire, which spread rapidly. A witness told Yonhap about hearing an explosion. 

Fire crews could be seen shooting water onto the site from cranes while a thick column of black smoke filled the sky in images released by Yonhap.

The fire was extinguished by Saturday afternoon.

President Lee Jae Myung told officials to mobilise all available resources -- including personnel and equipment -- for rescue operations, his office said. 

Lee has called for better protections for the country's workers, more than 10,000 of whom died on the job from 2000 to 2024, according to official statistics. 

In September, South Korea sentenced the CEO of battery maker Aricell to 15 years in prison over one of the country's worst industrial fires.

The 2024 blaze at the lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, south of capital Seoul, killed 22 people, most of them Chinese nationals.

In its verdict, the Suwon District Court said the company had prioritised profit over workers' safety.