South Korea warehouse blasts, fire kill 22

ICHEON, South Korea, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Three explosions and a massive fire Monday at a soon-to-be-opened refrigerated warehouse killed 22 laborers in Icheon, South Korea.

Fire officials said 18 workers were unaccounted for as they battled flames fueled by flammable refrigerant gases, the Yonhap news agency reported.

Of the total 57 workers, 17 managed to escape, but many of them had serious injuries, firefighters said.

The warehouse, 50 miles southeast of Seoul, is owned by Korea 2000, which reportedly planned to open the facility next weekend. Workers were pumping refrigerant gases and firefighters suspected believed vapors had ignited in the basement's engine room, the report said.

Provincial Fire Chief Choi Jin-jong told reporters there had been three explosions at 10-second intervals before the two-story building was engulfed in flames.

"We are having hard time putting down the blaze due to a series of explosions at the time of the fire, which demolished all firefighting facilities in the basement," Choi said.