Third body pulled from rubble after boiler tower collapses in South Korea - four still trapped

A third body has been pulled from rubble after a boiler tower at a thermal power plant collapsed in South Korea.

Rescuers in the southeastern city of Ulsan have been involved in a painstaking operation to reach those trapped.

The structure had collapsed on Thursday while it was being prepared for demolition.

Officials say the first two bodies were recovered on Friday.

A 44-year-old man died while awaiting rescue that same day, and firefighters reached his body early on Sunday morning.

A further two workers are presumed dead and are believed to still be trapped under the debris.

Meanwhile, the exact locations of another two workers are yet to be confirmed.

The 60m (196ft) tall structure was being weakened at the time of its collapse.

Operations at the boiler tower had ceased in 2021 after 40 years of continual use.

Rescuers have deployed heat sensors and search dogs in their attempts to reach the workers.

However, their efforts have been hampered by the risk of a further collapse.

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Kim Jeong-shik, an official with the local fire department, said earlier this week: "The rescue site is currently covered with large amounts of asbestos and glass fibres.

"The space is extremely cramped, forcing rescue workers to manually clear the debris by hand in order to carry out the rescue operations."

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered officials to mobilise all available personnel and equipment for the rescue effort.

(c) Sky News 2025: Third body pulled from rubble after boiler tower collapses in South Korea - four still trapped