SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - A fire and subsequent toxic gas leak at an SK Hynix factory in Cheongju, South Korea, prompted the evacuation of 3,600 employees on Monday morning. Seven workers were transported to an affiliated hospital after exposure to the chemicals, though the company reported no disruption to overall production, firefighters said.
The incident began at 10:32 a.m. (0132 GMT) in a sixth-floor gas room connecting the M15 and M15X facilities at the company's Cheongju 4 Campus. Sprinklers immediately extinguished the fire, but toxic hydrogen fluoride spread inside the enclosed room, reaching a concentration of 5 ppm.
Ten people were working at the scene when the incident occurred. Five workers complained of stinging eyes, and two others who showed no specific symptoms were also sent to the hospital for precautionary medical checkups due to their proximity to the leak.
According to the rescuers, fires were put out immediately after the gas was detected. SK Hynix evacuated all personnel from the M15 and M15X buildings as a preventative safety measure.
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