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Hydrochloric acid leaked from a chemical plant in Ulsan early today (17th). As a result of the accident, villagers living nearby complained of shortness of breath and headaches and were taken to a nearby hospital.
This is UBC reporter Bae Dae-won.
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Hydrochloric acid leaked from Bibong Chemical around 0:50 this morning.
About 5.5 tons of hydrochloric acid leaked from a tank with a capacity of 100 tons.
The fire department completed safety measures within 4 hours and 20 minutes of the accident, such as moving the leaked hydrochloric acid with a tank lorry and carrying out cleaning operations.
The steam from the hydrochloric acid leak spread, causing damage to nearby villages.
Nine residents complained of shortness of breath and headache, and were transferred to a nearby hospital,
[Um Ho-seop / Accident Witness: It was really hard because the gas itself flew here when the wind blows. After I slept, I now feel nauseous and my head hurts… .]
The crops that were swept away by the hydrochloric acid vapor dried up.
[Doo-seop Um / Villager: (The crops) were green, but it was not winter, and it was the first time in my life that this happened because the leaves were completely chopped.] The
cause of the leak is presumed to be a defect in the flange bolt, the pipe connecting part at the bottom of the tank.
[Park Jae-oh / Researcher at Ulsan Chemical Disaster and Disaster Prevention Center: There is a flange connected to the pipe, but there was a malfunction or a defect in it, so (hydrochloric acid) leaked there… .]
The Nakdong River Basin Environment Agency plans to investigate the exact cause of the accident and whether there was any negligence against the company to determine if there is a violation of the Chemicals Control Act.
(Video coverage: Ahn Jae-young UBC)