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Sixth body found as rescue efforts in Ulsan continue

Published: 13 Nov. 2025, 12:36 Updated: 13 Nov. 2025, 19:32

A crane secures the upper structure of a boiler tower at a thermal power plant operated by Korea East-West Power on Nov. 12, after its collapse on Nov. 6. [NEWS1]

Rescue teams pulled a sixth body from the wreckage of a collapsed boiler tower at Korea East-West Power’s Ulsan plant on Thursday, a week after the structure gave way and trapped seven workers.

Fire authorities said they found the victim at around 1 a.m. Thursday. Teams had already recovered two other workers, one late Tuesday evening and another on Wednesday morning. All three were buried under debris from the No. 5 boiler tower, which collapsed on Nov. 6.

The man recovered Thursday worked for a subcontractor handling the boiler tower demolition and was the youngest of the trapped workers.

Rescue work accelerated this week after fire authorities finished demolition blasting on the adjacent No. 4 and No. 6 boiler towers on Tuesday. The two structures stood only 30 meters from the collapsed tower. Both had already undergone weakening work, and vibrations from heavy equipment risked causing another collapse. That danger limited the use of large machinery such as cranes.

With the demolition complete, crews have been working around the clock for a third consecutive day. Authorities have deployed cranes, excavators and other heavy equipment to remove the debris.

Firefighters carry out rescue operations at the site of the boiler tower collapse at a thermal power plant operated by Korea East-West Power on Nov. 12. [ULSAN FIRE HEADQUARTERS]

As of 10 a.m. Thursday, officials confirmed the deaths of six of the seven workers who were trapped. They believe the remaining victim, estimated to be in his 60s, is still under the rubble of the tower.

Fire authorities said they would continue to expand the search.

“We will put in as many people as possible so the victim can return to his family as soon as possible,” an official said.

“Nine specialized rescue teams with about 70 personnel, more than 40 civilian demolition experts, rescue dogs, drones, imaging detectors and lighting trucks for 24-hour operations are all on site.”

Online commenters expressed frustration that demolition of nearby towers did not happen earlier. One wrote that they felt “deep regret” that the No. 5 tower collapsed and caused fatalities and questioned the cause of the accident.

Others shared hopes for survivors and offered condolences such as “May those who died rest without pain” and “Strength to the families.”

Search-and-rescue dogs are deployed to look for missing workers still buried under a wreckage from a boiler tower in Ulsan on Nov. 12, after the collapse on Nov. 6. [ULSAN FIRE HEADQUARTERS]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM YOUN-HO [[email protected]]