Search continues for 2 missing from structure collapse at power plant

ULSAN — Search efforts continued Saturday to locate two workers missing from a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan, with preparations under way to dismantle nearby units to facilitate the operation, authorities said.

The boiler tower at the Ulsan branch of the Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility, collapsed Thursday, leaving three workers dead and two others presumed dead. The exact location of the remaining two workers remains unknown.

Firefighters have been working through roughly 30 meters of twisted steel and debris to reach the core of the collapse area, deploying about 40 rescuers and using drones and other equipment overnight.

The 60-meter-tall boiler tower was in the process of being demolished after its operation was suspended in 2021 following 40 years of use.

On the third day of search operations, rescue workers struggled to comb through debris as rain briefly fell in the morning.

“Access is very difficult because there are steel beams inside the structure,” Kim Jeon-sik, an official of the Ulsan Southern Fire Station, said in a briefing. “There are limits (to the search operation) with the current equipment.”

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited the site to inspect ongoing rescue efforts, then went to a funeral home of the deceased workers to meet with their bereaved families.

The central disaster and safety response headquarters said it decided to dismantle the adjacent Unit 4 and Unit 6 power plants amid concerns of additional collapse as both had already been largely weakened for demolition.

Preparatory blasting work began Friday night following the decision, it added.

The disaster headquarters said it expects the pace of rescue operations to accelerate once the demolition of Units 4 and 6 is completed.

The demolition work is expected to take place early next week when preparations are complete.

“Once the parts needed to connect the explosives are in place, the demolition will likely be carried out on Tuesday,” an Ulsan city official told reporters.

The accident occurred as workers from a subcontractor commissioned to dismantle the structure were cutting steel supports to weaken it before blasting work.

The Ulsan District Prosecutors Office said it has formed an investigation team to determine the exact cause of the incident in cooperation with police and the labor ministry, hold those responsible, and support the victims’ bereaved families.

Whether safety measures were in place, such as by supporting the tower with wires, will be a key question during the investigation process.