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14 killed in Daejeon car parts plant blaze, fire authorities confirm

Published: 21 Mar. 2026, 20:32 Updated: 21 Mar. 2026, 20:37

SARAH KIM
[email protected]

President Lee Jae Myung, second from right, is briefed as he visits the site of a blaze at an auto parts factory in Daejeon on March 21. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

All 14 people who were reported missing have been confirmed dead after a large-scale blaze broke out Friday at an automobile parts plant in Daejeon, fire authorities said Saturday.

Daejeon fire authorities confirmed on Saturday afternoon that the bodies of the last three missing people were discovered at the scene of the fire at the plant in Daedeok District between 4:10 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The last missing person was recovered near a water tank in the second-floor parking lot of the collapsed building at around 5 p.m., according to Daedeok Fire Station officials.

The blaze left 60 other casualties, authorities said.

Rescue workers earlier Saturday recovered the bodies of 11 victims and had been searching for the remaining missing people who had been out of contact since the previous day.

The fire began at around 1:17 p.m. on Friday at a manufacturing plant owned by Anjun Industrial, which produces engine valves for automobiles and ships. It has around 350 employees, and about 170 were reportedly inside the factory at the time of the incident.

Fire authorities said that the fire is believed to have started on the first floor and spread to the higher floors, though the exact cause is yet unknown.

Firefighters faced difficulties in their search because of concerns that the burned structure could collapse, and worries about an explosion risk as the plant houses some 200 kilograms of sodium.

They said that fire search dogs played a significant role in searching for the location of the last three remaining missing victims.

The chief of the Daedeok Fire Station gives a briefing in front of the site of a blaze at an auto parts factory in Daejeon on March 21. The fire broke out Friday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens of thers. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Earlier, President Lee Jae Myung visited the site of a blaze at the factory in Daejeon at around 3 p.m. Saturday and conducted an inspection of the scene, receiving a briefing on the accident, casualties, search plans and response measures.

Lee inspected the exterior wall of the burned building and inquired about the reasons for the rapid spread of the fire.

Lee thanked the firefighters for their hard work and later met with the bereaved families and other victims, offering his condolences. He called on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to take full responsibility for managing the site until it is stabilized.

Lee instructed government officials to designate a manager to remain at the scene and to regularly brief the bereaved families in detail regarding the cause of the accident and the rescue operations.

The families requested a swift identification of the victims, an investigation into the cause of the accident and for a joint memorial altar. The Daejeon city government accepted the families' requests and plans to set up a joint memorial altar at the City Hall.

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]