South Korean police commandos mounted a dramatic helicopter-borne raid Wednesday to end a sit-in by strikers at a troubled auto plant, braving a hail of missiles and firebombs.
Police rappelled down ropes from helicopters onto the roof of the paint shop at Ssangyong Motor, the last building still occupied by unionists fighting mass layoffs at the debt-stricken firm.
Other officers inside three containers lifted by giant cranes landed on a roof adjoining the paint shop. Two helicopters dropped tear gas on the strikers.
Two workers fell from a three-storey rooftop while trying to stop the commandos from landing, media reports said. Yonhap news agency reported they were injured but not in critical condition.
More than 500 unionists, armed with steel pipes and giant slingshots firing nuts and bolts, have been holed up inside the paint shop.
Thousands of riot police had previously hesitated to mount a full-scale raid since it is packed with inflammable materials.
YTN television said firefighters were trying to put out small blazes at the plant 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Seoul.
Witnesses said black smoke billowed over the entire auto company complex. Journalists were kept well back from the scene.
At least 27 police officers and non-union workers at Ssangyong were hurt during clashes on Tuesday.
The company in February won court protection from creditors as China's Shanghai Automotive Industry gave up management control. Court-appointed managers have since tried to turn it around through job cuts and cost savings.
The programme calls for the sacking of 2,646 workers or 36 percent of the workforce. About 1,670 of these have taken voluntary redundancy but others began an occupation of the plant on May 21.
The union had warned in a statement that it "will fight to the death should police forcefully break up the occupation."
