(2nd LD) Gas leak at Samsung chip factory leaves 1 dead, two unconscious

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YONGIN, South Korea, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- One worker was killed and two others remain unconscious after being exposed to carbon dioxide in a Samsung Electronics Co. semiconductor factory southeast of Seoul, authorities said Tuesday.

They were found lying unconscious at around 2 p.m. in a firefighting facility filled with dense carbon dioxide in the basement of a production line in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province, according to local police and firefighters.

The gas leak killed a 24-year-old worker from a Samsung subcontractor. Two others are undergoing treatment at a hospital but remain unconscious, the police said.

The three worked for a fire safety maintenance company and were said to be moving some equipment at the plant.

The authorities are working to find out the exact cause of the accident.

A similar accident occurred at a Samsung Electronics' research center in Suwon in the same province in March 2014. A subcontracted worker in his 50s died from inhaling carbon dioxide that leaked due to the malfunctioning of a firefighting facility in the basement.

elly@yna.co.kr
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