At least 2 dead from nitrogen leak at LG factory

At least two workers died and four others were injured Monday after a nitrogen leak at an LG Display factory north of Seoul, police and firefighters said.

The leak took place at around 12:50 p.m. at the factory in Paju, about 40 kilometers north of Seoul. The workers had reportedly been carrying out repair work on the 9th floor.

One worker died on the spot, while another was pronounced dead while being transported to hospital, authorities said. The condition of four others, who were sent to three different hospitals nearby, was not immediately clear.

Nitrogen makes up nearly 80 percent of the atmosphere, but can cause asphyxiation in the absence of oxygen.

LG Display, South Korea's top maker of liquid crystal displays (LCD), completed the Paju factory in 2006. (Yonhap)