SEOUL, South Korea — A 60-meter (196-foot) tower collapsed throughout demolition work at a decommissioned thermal energy plant within the South Korean metropolis of Ulsan, killing at the very least one individual and leaving six others trapped below the rubble, officers stated Friday.
Rescuers situated one of many trapped individuals, who’s feared useless, however have been unable to take away the individual from the rubble. Two others had been pulled to security shortly after responding to the collapse on Thursday afternoon.
One other employee, who was rescued later, was pronounced useless at a hospital early Friday, stated Kim Jeong-shik, an official with Ulsan’s hearth division.
Kim stated the seek for the remaining individuals was suspended Friday morning on account of issues over unstable rubble and can resume after stabilization work.
“We’ve deployed rescue canines they usually’re conducting searches now. We even have a variety of detection tools on website, together with thermal cameras and endoscopes,” Kim stated in a briefing.
Officers stated earlier that the primary two individuals rescued escaped life-threatening accidents. Greater than 340 rescue staff and round 90 automobiles and tools had been deployed to the location for search and rescue efforts.
Following the collapse, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung instructed officers to mobilize all obtainable personnel and tools for the rescue effort whereas guaranteeing the security of rescue staff working within the rubble.
The plant was decommissioned in 2021 after 40 years of operation. Officers stated the boiler tower — considered one of three on the website — had been weakened because it was being ready for demolition.
