Three people were killed and two injured after an explosion and fire at a paint-material production factory in Cheonan on Friday. The blaze began at about 11:44 a.m., and the force of the explosion sent debris beyond the factory grounds, according to Korean reports.
Fire authorities brought the main blaze under control in the afternoon and continued checking the site for additional victims. The dead included a cafeteria worker in her 70s, while one of the injured was a firefighter. Investigators have not yet established the cause of the explosion, making the origin of the fire the next key finding.