Disappearance of Kazakh citizen after factory fire in South Korea: Foreign Ministry’s response

Tengrinews.kz – Reports that a Kazakh citizen went missing after a factory fire in South Korea have appeared in foreign media. The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commented on the situation.

Foreign Ministry’s response

The ministry reported that on 30 January a fire broke out at a food and beverage production facility in Maengdong-myeon, Eumseong County. Earlier, Korean media had reported that the blaze occurred at a wet wipes and diaper factory.

“Following the fire, 81 employees were immediately evacuated, however the whereabouts of two workers, including a citizen of Kazakhstan, remain unknown. According to police and fire authorities, in the morning of January 31 an unidentified body was found inside the burned-out workshop,” the Kazakh MFA told our newsroom.

According to the ministry’s official representative, the police have requested the National Forensic Service to confirm the identity of the deceased.

“The Embassy of Kazakhstan is in contact with the police and fire service, as well as with the relatives of the missing citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and is keeping the matter under close control,” the MFA statement says.

Earlier, some media reported that after the evacuation two foreign employees of the plant were listed as missing – a Kazakh citizen about 50 years old and a Nepalese citizen about 20 years old. Search operations began after the fire was partially contained. At about 12:39 AM on 31 January, firefighters found the body of one of the missing workers near a staircase on the second floor of the building. The deceased has not yet been identified.