Two people have died after a vessel under construction at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) caught on fire today (24 August) in South Korea, according to news reports.
The Geoje Fire Station said a 39-year-old worker, known by the surname Lee, was found dead at around 5 p.m. in a fuel tank of the 84,000-ton liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier located at Okpo Shipyard on Geoje Island, South Gyeongsang Province, about 406km south of Seoul. The second victim, 30, who had been missing at first, was found about an hour later. The fire occurred on a vessel that is under construction on an island south of Seoul also left an additional seven injured, fire authorities told The Korea Herald.
According to the firefighters, the fire appeared to have been caused by a welding spark inside the vessel that was being constructed at one of the company's building docks. A total of 47 workers had been working at the time of the accident. Seven have been hospitalized for treatment after they inhaled fumes from the fire, while 38 others are confirmed to be unharmed, The Korea Herald reported.
The shipyard suffered a severe loss in 2Q 2015 by US$2.1 billion net that the company attributed to increased costs the company endured that were related to commercial shipbuilding, in addition to oil and gas projects.
Image of the DSME shipyard. From DSME.
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