5 Dead in Hanwha Aerospace Explosion: How a Routine Cleaning Went Wrong

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An explosion at defense contractor Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon plant that left five people dead and two injured appears to have occurred while workers were cleaning tools contaminated with explosive residue.

Hanwha Aerospace told reporters in front of its Daejeon facility in Osam-dong, Yuseong-gu, on the afternoon of June 1 that it believes the blast happened during the cleaning of tools used in the production of rocket propellant.

Gajae-woong, the head of the Daejeon plant, said the explosion occurred while crews were sorting and cleaning tools coated with explosive material. “Explosive materials generally lose their hazard when they come into contact with water. We did not regard them as highly dangerous, but the exact cause needs to be determined,” he said.

Officials said the cleaning process used water and detergent and that routine cleaning procedures showed no prior issues.

Of the five people killed, two were contract workers in their late 20s. The other three deceased were full-time employees: two in their 50s and one in his 30s.

Son Jae-il, chief executive officer of Hanwha Aerospace, apologized to the families of the victims and said the company accepts responsibility. “An accident occurred at a workplace that should be safe. We offer our apologies to the families who lost loved ones. We feel the weight of responsibility and, while words cannot fully console them, we will take full responsibility for this incident, support the bereaved families and the injured, and fully cooperate with the authorities’ investigation,” he said.

Earlier that morning, at about 10:59 a.m., an explosion ripped through the wash room in Building 56 at the Daejeon plant and sparked a fire.

Fire authorities issued a level-1 response 18 minutes later, deploying 32 vehicles and 121 personnel. They reported initial suppression was completed by about 11:49 a.m. and finished extinguishing the blaze around 1:07 p.m., at which point the level-1 response was lifted.

The blast killed five people at the scene and injured two others — one critically and one with minor injuries. The critically injured worker suffered full-body burns and was transferred to a nearby burn specialty hospital, where they remain in intensive care.

The worker with minor injuries received treatment at a hospital and has since returned home. Given the severe damage to some bodies, authorities requested assistance from the National Forensic Service to confirm identities.

The Daejeon Police Agency has formed a dedicated investigation team led by its chief of investigations to quickly identify the victims and determine the cause of the accident.