SEOUL, March 20 — A fire at a car parts plant in South Korea on Friday seriously injured at least 21 people and left 14 others missing, authorities said.

The blaze occurred about 1 pm (0400 GMT) in the central city of Daejeon.

Authorities issued an order typically reserved for blazes that exceed the firefighting capacity of local governments, according to Seoul’s Yonhap news agency.

Officials have not said how the fire started.

“Around 45 have been injured, and among them, 21 are thought to be in a serious condition,” an official from the interior ministry’s department that handles fires and other disasters told AFP.

“Around 14 people are still believed to be missing.”

President Lee Jae Myung told officials to mobilise all available resources—including personnel and equipment—for rescue operations, his office said. — AFP