5 killed at textile company blast in South Korea

SEOUL—Five people were killed and two others seriously injured when a blast ripped through a textile company laboratory in South Korea on Saturday, news reports said.

The victims were working with inflammable chemicals at the laboratory of TK Chemical Corp in the city of Gumi, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Seoul, Yonhap news agency said.

The three-story steel and cement laboratory building was gutted by the ensuing fire.

An investigation was under way to determine the cause of the blast, Yonhap said, adding some 50 firefighters backed by 17 fire engines were mobilized.