A toxic chemical leak at a Samsung Electronics plant in South Korea killed one worker and injured four, the company said Tuesday.
According to a Samsung spokesman, the chipmaking plant in Hwaseong city, southwest of Seoul, had leaked two to three liters of diluted hydrofluoric acid.
The five men were called on Sunday night to repair the damage which was contained early Monday morning.
One of the workers was taken to hospital on Monday with throat and chest pains but died hours later while the remaining four were released after being treated, AP reports.
Hydrofluoric acid is an acute poison that can damage lungs and bones and affect the nervous system, as well as burn the skin.
“The situation has been contained and Samsung will be investigating the circumstances of this unfortunate incident,” the company said in a statement, offering its “deepest condolences” to the bereaved family.
Samsung is one of the world’s top manufacturers of electronics such as smartphones, memory chips and flat-panel TVs.
