Exploding batteries spark catastrophic South Korean industrial fire.
Firefighters spent several hours putting out the fire using dry sand.
A large factory fire in South Korea occurred after multiple lithium batteries burst, killing at least 22 people.
The fire broke out Monday morning at the Aricell plant in Hwaseong city, some 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Seoul.
Local television footage captured enormous smoke clouds and tiny explosions as firemen attempted to extinguish the fire. A portion of the roof had collapsed.
South Korea is a significant producer of lithium batteries, which are used in a wide range of products, including electric vehicles and laptop computers.
Kim Jin-young, a fire official, confirmed that 18 Chinese, one Laotian, and two South Korean laborers died.
A last body had yet to be identified, and there is concern that at least one more person may be missing.
"Most of the bodies are badly burned, so it will take some time to identify each one," Mr Kim told AFP.
Out of the 100 workers who were working when the fire started, eight more were hurt, two of them critically.
The Aricell factory's second floor had an estimated 35,000 battery cells, which were examined and packaged, with more batteries kept elsewhere.
Mr Kim claimed the fire started when a series of battery cells detonated, although it's unclear what caused the initial explosions.
He explained that it was first impossible to enter the site "due to fears of additional explosions".
It is yet unclear what caused the fire. Lithium batteries can explode if damaged or overheated.
Whatever the source, once the fire started, it spread quickly, leaving the workers with little time to escape, according to Kim Jae-ho, a fire and disaster prevention professor at Daejeon University.
"Battery materials, such as nickel, are easily flammable," he told Reuters. "So often, there is not enough time to respond, compared to a fire caused by other materials.
" Because a lithium fire reacts strongly with water, firefighters had to use dry sand to put out the blaze, which took several hours to get under control.
However, due to the chemical process, the fire may re-ignite without notice after it has been doused.
