Fatalities in collapse at South Korean power plant

A 60-meter tower collapsed during demolition work at a decommissioned thermal power plant in Ulsan, South Korea, killing three people and at least two people are presumed dead.

Five people were trapped under the rubble, including two people who authorities have not yet located.

Nine people were working in the area when the boiler tower collapsed on Thursday. Rescue workers responded and pulled the two men to safety shortly after, but another worker who was later rescued was pronounced dead in hospital in the early hours of Friday.

Hours later, they pulled out another worker who was reported dead, and a doctor on site confirmed the death of another worker who was among the three in the wreckage.

Fire officials believe the other two are also dead, according to Kim Jeong-shik, an official with the Ulsan fire department.

The search was temporarily halted Friday morning due to concerns about unstable debris, and authorities delayed planned stabilization work before resuming the search after identifying additional workers.

More than 340 rescue workers and dozens of vehicles, as well as search dogs, thermal cameras, endoscopes and other detection equipment, were deployed to the area for search and rescue efforts, Kim said.

“The rescue area is currently covered with a large amount of asbestos and fiberglass… and the area is extremely congested, forcing rescue workers to manually clear debris to carry out rescue operations,” Kim said at a briefing.

Following the collapse, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung instructed authorities to mobilize all available personnel and equipment for rescue efforts while ensuring the safety of rescuers working through the wreckage.

The facility was decommissioned in 2021 after 40 years of operation. The boiler tower, one of three on the site, was weakened in preparation for demolition, officials said.