Fire swept through a South Korean mushroom processing plant, killing several people, possibly as many as 12, police said Thursday. A dozen workers were missing after Wednesday's fire at the three-story plant in Chongdo, 162 miles southeast of Seoul. Police said sparks from a welder apparently started the blaze.

A police official said firefighters and rescue officials found a number of bodies on the third floor.

"We found some bodies clustered together but for now we cannot confirm the number of the bodies," he said.

An official at Chongdo police station said the 12 missing people were working on the third floor.

"Search work began this morning but it might be difficult to identify the bodies immediately even if found," the second official said.

Five employees were severely burned and sent to hospital, while the majority of the 162 mushroom growers working at the plant were evacuated from the lower two floors.

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