(LEAD) Fire at LG Chem lab kills 1, injures 2

(ATTN: ADDS more info from 2nd para; REPLACES photo)

SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- A fire at a research center of LG Chem Ltd. killed one worker and injured two others Tuesday, firefighters said.

The blaze occurred at the company's catalyst lab in the central city of Seosan, some 120 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 2:20 p.m. Firefighters extinguished it at around 3:30 p.m.

One employer was killed and two others suffered second-degree burns to the face and neck and were sent to a nearby hospital, they said.

The fire reportedly broke out when a catalyst, which was being transported, exploded under excessively high pressure. No harmful chemicals leaked, according to the local fire department.

The facility was immediately shut down.

Police and fire authorities will begin to investigate the cause of the accident as soon as they clear up the scene.

The accident came as the nation's leading chemicals company reels from a toxic gas leak at its plant in India on May 7, which killed 12 people and sickened more than 1,000 people.

(END)