(Bloomberg) -- At least 22 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a lithium primary battery manufacturing plant south of Seoul on Monday. 

Among the victims, 20 are believed to be foreigners while the other two are South Korean citizens, a fire station official said in a televised briefing. Eighteen people are Chinese, one is Laotian and one person’s nationality is unknown.

The blaze broke out at around 10:30 a.m. at the three-story plant run by Aricell and located in Hwaseong, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Seoul. The main fire was under control by about 3:10 p.m., according to Yonhap News.

More than 100 firefighters using pump trucks were mobilized but had difficulties putting out the blaze because burning lithium batteries aren’t easy to extinguish via conventional fire-fighting methods, Yonhap quoted officials as saying. The fire spread rapidly and batteries exploded continuously at the plant where about 35,000 cells are believed to have been stored, Yonhap reported. 

Shares of S Connect, which owns 96% of Aricell, dropped 23% at the close of Seoul trading on Monday, a record decline. Unlisted Aricell, which makes batteries used in utility metering and medical devices, generated 4.79 billion won ($3.45 million) in revenue last year. 

(Updates with confirmation of casualties from first paragraph.)

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.