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Third Body Recovered After Ulsan Power Plant Tower Collapse With Four Still Unaccounted

A suspected regulatory gap over demolition rules is under scrutiny by police and prosecutors.

Overview

  • Fire crews recovered a third body on Sunday, raising the confirmed death toll to three, with two workers presumed dead and two others still unlocated.
  • The 60-meter Unit 5 boiler tower collapsed Thursday during preparatory weakening cuts ahead of planned blasting at the decommissioned Ulsan plant.
  • Rescuers have limited operations because of unstable steel, asbestos contamination and the risk of further collapse, relying on drones, thermal cameras, dogs and endoscopes.
  • Authorities paused direct searches to start precutting work for controlled demolitions of the structurally compromised Units 4 and 6 to stabilize the site.
  • Police and prosecutors formed dedicated teams, secured permits and contract records, and are examining whether contractor oversight failures and a classification gap left the tower outside Building Act safeguards.