By Kang Seung-woo
Five people have been booked without detention for last month's massive explosion at an oil storage facility in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, with police wrapping up their one-month investigation, Tuesday.
On Oct. 7, an oil tank storing 4.4 million tons of gasoline at the facility caught fire and exploded. The 17 hour-blaze caused 4.3 billion won ($3.8 million) in damage ― although there were no casualties. The facility is owned by Daehan Oil Pipeline Corp. (DOPCO).
Later, police found an immigrant worker from Sri Lanka accidentally triggered the fire after launching a sky lantern, which landed in the grass at the oil facility.
Those who have been indicted are the head of DOPCO's Gyeonggi and Incheon branch office, its safety management chief and deputy, as well as a labor supervisor from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Sri Lankan. The supervisor is suspected of fabricating a document to say the oil tank was fully equipped with a fire prevention system.
According to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, DOPCO neglected its safety management, as evidenced that flammable haystacks were near its 14 oil tanks and some of its flame arresters did not work.
In addition, the oil tank was found to have only one fire prevention system in its 10 ventilation ducts ― although there were 10 on paper.
Also, DOPCO's weak management of the site also took flak ― although it did not violate the law.
According to police, there were four staffers on duty at the time of the fire, but only one was in charge of the control office monitoring the oil tanks via CCTV. And the staffer was even doing another job at the time.
As a result, it took about 18 minutes after the grass started to smoke before the tank exploded, but no one detected the fire during that time which could have prevented the explosion.
Three days after the fire broke out, police asked the prosecution to request an arrest warrant for the Sri Lankan, but prosecutors dismissed the request, demanding a supplementary investigation. The public was not on the police's side, blaming them for making a scapegoat of the migrant worker.
In the wake of the oil tank blaze, there are growing calls on the government to reinforce safety measures at oil storage facilities and similar sites.
Currently, DOPCO operates eight oil storage facilities nationwide, including ones in Pangyo in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and Daejeon, among others.