Gas leak at SK Hynix chip plant injures 3

A gas leak at SK Hynix’s chip plant in South Korea has injured three people.

The South Korean memory giant said on Tuesday that hydrogen fluoride leaked during equipment inspection at its M16 plant in Icheon.

One suffered burns on their arms and legs, while two inhaled the gas. They were rushed to the hospital and were in stable condition, the company said.

Around 500ml of hydrogen fluoride was leaked in the fifth floor of the facility. The pipes were automatically shutdown, so there was no leak of the gas outside of the area, SK Hynix said. No traces of the gas was detected after a couple of hours of the leak, the company said.

The gas leak is suspected to have been caused by the equipment used by staff. The police are investigating the matter.

SK Hynix stressed that the leak didn’t cause any problem for its chip production.