The death toll from an explosion at a chemical plant in South Korea rose to six Friday after rescue teams recovered the bodies of two workers who had been missing.

Emergency response officials told reporters that another worker sustained injuries in the incident shortly before 09.30 a.m. (0130GMT) at the Hanwha Chemical plant in the coastal southern city of Ulsan when a waste storage tank exploded.

It was not immediately clear what caused the tank to explode -- an investigation will examine whether welding work was responsible.

The incident came at a time when South Korea is rebuilding its sense of security after last year's Sewol ferry disaster, which claimed more than 300 lives.

Seoul has led a campaign against negligence and corruption following intense public criticism on both counts.

Only this week, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn vowed to demonstrate the country's "crisis management skills" as Gwangju was set Friday to officially open the 2015 Summer Universiade.

South Korea has also been in the grip of a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak since May -- 33 people have died among 184 confirmed infections locally.

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