Search for missing in boiler tower collapse enters 5th day

Search and rescue efforts are under way to locate missing workers from the collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in Ulsan, Nov. 9. Yonhap

The search for two missing workers entered its fifth day Monday after a boiler tower collapsed at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan.

A total of seven workers were initially trapped at the plant of the Ulsan branch of Korea East-West Power, a state-run utility company, on Thursday.

Three bodies have been recovered, while four people are still trapped, including two who are presumed dead.

Firefighting authorities said drones were sent inside the debris overnight to aid in the search but failed to locate the missing.

Search personnel have withdrawn from the site temporarily as work began the previous day to prepare for the demolition of two other boiler towers flanking the one that collapsed.

Once the two towers are demolished, sometime early this week, officials plan to use heavy equipment to lift the debris from the collapse, speeding up the search for the missing.

The collapsed tower was 60 meters tall and in the process of being demolished after 40 years of use ending in 2021.