ULSAN -- A worker was killed Saturday in an explosion at a shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in the southeastern port city of Ulsan, police said.

The employee in his 50s, hired by a subcontractor, was cutting steel plates with oxy-fuel gas when the blast occurred at 7:48 a.m. at a plant of the world's largest shipbuilder in the city, 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

He fell unconscious and was sent to a hospital, but he was declared dead, according to police. Other workers at the scene were not injured. Police are investigating to determine the cause of the explosion.

About 30,000 people work at the Hyundai shipyard in Ulsan.

Under a new industrial accident act, owners and CEOs of companies with five or more employees can face a minimum one-year prison sentence or up to a fine of 1 billion won ($ 819,830) in the event of accidents that cause death or serious injury. (Yonhap)