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Authorities confirm 11 dead in Daejeon factory fire, 3 still missing

Published: 21 Mar. 2026, 09:28 Updated: 21 Mar. 2026, 15:26

Firefighters transport missing bodies on March 21 in Daejeon, recovered from the major fire that broke out on March 20 at an auto parts factory owned by Anjun Industrial. [NEWS1]

DAEJEON — Eleven of the 14 people who were deemed missing in Friday's fire at a Daejeon car parts factory were found dead, according to the National Fire Agency on Saturday.

Rescue workers discovered nine bodies, starting at around 12:20 a.m. inside the factory gym, on the third floor.

“It is possible they fled there to escape the flames and were overcome,” a fire agency official said.

A further victim was found at noon the same day inside the men's bathroom on the first floor, while another was located after 11 p.m. on Friday near a staircase at the entrance to a second-floor break room.

All of the located victims, except one, have been identified and transferred to nearby hospitals for fingerprinting and DNA testing.

The fire has so far left 11 people dead, three missing and 59 injured.

Police and fire authorities conduct a search for victims on March 21 inside a car parts factory owned by Anjun Industrial in Daejeon, where the blaze broke out on March 20. [NEWS1]

Search efforts are continuing for the remaining missing people who are believed to still be inside the building based on mobile phone location data. Additional measures, including search dogs and advanced detection equipment, have been deployed. No foreign workers are believed to be among the missing.

“The site remains unstable and dangerous, but we are committed to ensuring no one is left behind. We will do our utmost to locate the remaining four missing individuals and return them to their families as soon as possible," Kim Seung-ryong, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, told the press on Saturday.

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.

The National Fire Agency issued a nationwide mobilization order at 1:53 p.m., citing concerns over potential mass casualties.

Rescue teams were sent into the building at 10:25 p.m. Friday after a safety inspection of the building. Fire authorities declared the blaze fully extinguished at 11:48 p.m.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited the fire site on Friday to review response efforts and discuss recovery measures. Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung on the same day convened the first meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the scene to assess the situation and coordinate rescue and victim support. The government plans to enhance victim support by assigning a dedicated official to each individual victim and establishing a Central Joint Disaster Victim Support Center to coordinate assistance across all government agencies.

Prosecutors have formed a dedicated investigative team to determine the cause of the fire and identify those responsible. “We will work closely with the police and labor authorities to thoroughly determine the cause of the accident and responsibility, while ensuring prompt support for the victims,” a prosecution official told reporters on Saturday.

Update, March 21: Information updated to include information of latest victim found

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.

SHIN JIN-HO, CHOI JONG-KWON, KIM BANG-HYUN [[email protected]]