Police are focusing their investigation on the possibility that the initial blast occurred inside a washing machine in connection with the Hanwha Aerospace explosion that left seven casualties, including five deaths.

A captured frame from an external closed-circuit (CC) TV video shows the moment of the explosion in the washroom of Building 56 at the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon plant in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on the 1st in the morning. /Courtesy of Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Jeong-hyun's office

According to Yonhap News Agency and police on the 2nd, the Major Crime Investigation Unit of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency told reporters that it had obtained a statement from the person in charge of the washing process to the effect that "the tank inside the washing machine was being cleaned at the time of the explosion."

According to police, the washing machine contains a tank where sludge generated during the washing process accumulates. The person in charge said workers were cleaning this tank at the time of the incident.

Building 56, where the explosion occurred, was identified as a facility where pipes, valves and equipment are disassembled and then washed. Here, foreign substances were scraped off with a spatula-shaped tool, the equipment was then immersed in a water bath, and additional cleaning was carried out using a high-pressure washing machine, it was found.

Police said the tank presumed to be the explosion point is a rectangular metal structure inside the high-pressure washing machine.

They also found that while an outside company cleans the piping connected to the washing machine, Hanwha Aerospace employees have been responsible for cleaning the inside of the washer.

Police secured a total of 17 items, including tools believed to have been used to clean the tank at the scene, and requested an examination by the National Forensic Service. Based on the results, they plan to determine the cause of the explosion and whether there was negligence in the work process.

Police have booked Gah Jae-ung, head of the Hanwha Aerospace Daejeon business site, on suspicion of occupational negligence resulting in death or injury and are investigating.

Labor authorities also launched a separate probe. The Labor Office booked head of the site Gah Jae-ung on suspicion of violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act and CEO Son Jae-ung on suspicion of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

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