60-meter boiler tower collapses at Ulsan; 1 dead, workers trapped

A 60 meter boiler tower collapsed on Thursday afternoon during demolition work at a decommissioned thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan, killing one worker and leaving at least six others trapped under tons of steel and concrete, fire and rescue officials said. The collapse occurred at the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power Co., which decommissioned the plant in 2021 after about 40 years of operation.

Officials said workers were dismantling the massive steel tower when it gave way around midafternoon. Rescuers pulled two people to safety shortly after the accident and a third worker who was subsequently removed from the rubble was pronounced dead early Friday, a fire department official said. Another person located under the debris is feared dead but has not been recovered.

Responders deployed a large search and rescue operation that included more than 340 personnel, roughly 90 vehicles and specialized equipment, along with helicopters, drones and search dogs. Thermal cameras and remote endoscopes have been used to try to locate people beneath the wreckage. "We have deployed rescue dogs and they are conducting searches now. We also have a lot of detection...