One worker dead, two injured after collapsing inside chemical storage tank at concrete factory in South Jeolla
Published: 21 Aug. 2025, 21:18
![Police forensic investigators examine the scene where workers collapsed and lost consciousness while cleaning a chemical storage tank at a ready-mix concrete plant in Suncheon, South Jeolla, on Aug. 21. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/1b2a1f2e-4999-4a96-8a17-bb2f4b8e1b29.jpg)
Police forensic investigators examine the scene where workers collapsed and lost consciousness while cleaning a chemical storage tank at a ready-mix concrete plant in Suncheon, South Jeolla, on Aug. 21. [YONHAP]
SUNCHEON, South Jeolla — One worker died and two others remain in critical condition after they collapsed inside a chemical storage tank at a ready-mix concrete factory in Suncheon, South Jeolla, on Thursday.
The South Jeolla Fire Department said it received a report at 1:29 p.m. that three employees had fallen unconscious while cleaning the inside of a tank used to store a chemical admixture for concrete.
Rescue crews wearing air respirators and protective gear tried to enter the tank but struggled due to the narrow entry point. They dismantled part of the outer structure with an excavator and tipped the tank on its side to carry out the rescue.
Firefighters pulled out a 60-year-old worker at 3:16 p.m., followed by a 57-year-old worker at 3:33 p.m. and a 53-year-old worker at 3:42 p.m. The 60-year-old was conscious and transported to a hospital. The other two had no pulse or breathing when found. Doctors later pronounced the 57-year-old dead, while the 53-year-old was undergoing emergency resuscitation.
![Firefighters carry out a rescue operation after three workers collapsed while cleaning a ground-level tank at a ready-mix concrete plant in Suncheon Industrial Complex in Seomyeon, Suncheon, South Jeolla, on Aug. 21. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/21/c6663759-ade3-42cc-8b83-5e732d78b259.jpg)
Firefighters carry out a rescue operation after three workers collapsed while cleaning a ground-level tank at a ready-mix concrete plant in Suncheon Industrial Complex in Seomyeon, Suncheon, South Jeolla, on Aug. 21. [YONHAP]
Investigators said the victims were not subcontracted workers but factory staff, including a plant manager. They lost consciousness after entering a 12-ton tank that contained a high-performance air-entraining water-reducing agent, an additive used to improve concrete performance.
Police and labor authorities believe one worker first lost consciousness inside the tank, and the two others followed the worker in to attempt a rescue before also succumbing. They are investigating the cause of the accident.
The tragedy marked the latest in a string of chemical or gas-related workplace accidents in South Jeolla. In the past two months alone, eight workers have been killed or injured in similar cases.
Just a day earlier, two employees at an animal feed factory in Naju collapsed while working inside a facility. A 44-year-old Vietnamese worker later regained consciousness, while a 39-year-old Korean worker remains in a coma.
On July 8, a worker in their 60s was hospitalized after inhaling carbon monoxide while working inside a road maintenance hole in Haenam County. On June 27, two workers in their 50s and 60s died while cleaning a wastewater treatment facility at a processing plant in Yeosu.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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