Ulsan (South Korea), Nov 9 (IANS) The body of another worker was recovered on Sunday from under the rubble following last week’s deadly collapse of a boiler tower at a thermal power plant in South Korea’s southeastern city of Ulsan.
The boiler tower at the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power Co., a state-run utility, collapsed Thursday while in the process of being demolished, initially trapping seven workers.
As rescue operations continued, firefighters pulled the body of a 44-year-old victim from the debris on Sunday morning, following the recovery of two bodies last Friday, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Authorities said that the man died Friday morning while waiting for rescue under the collapsed structure.
The confirmed death toll from the collapse rose to three as of Sunday. Two others are presumed dead and believed to still be trapped under the debris, while the exact locations of the remaining two workers have not been confirmed, officials said.
The 60-metre-tall boiler tower was being weakened at the time of the collapse after its operation was suspended in 2021 following 40 years of use.
On November 7, Land Minister Kim Yun-duk visited the site of the boiler tower collapse at a thermal power plant in Ulsan, urging rescuers to make all-out efforts to save workers trapped under the debris, his office said.
Kim arrived at the site at around 11 p.m. on Thursday to inspect ongoing rescue operations, according to the land ministry.
“The government will provide full support to ensure the victims are rescued as quickly as possible,” Kim said, calling on responders to do their utmost in the recovery and rescue work.
Kim added that the ministry will cooperate with relevant agencies in investigating the cause of the accident and preventing similar incidents in the future.
–IANS
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