Ulsan Power Plant's Dramatic Demolition: A Desperate Search for the Missing

**Ulsan Power Plant Towers to be Demolished in Search for Missing Workers**

Ulsan Power Plant's Dramatic Demolition: A Despera...

Ulsan, South Korea – In a desperate bid to locate four workers still missing after last week's collapse of a boiler tower at a thermal power plant, authorities in Ulsan are preparing to demolish two adjacent towers. The controlled demolition of towers No. 4 and No. 6, scheduled for noon Tuesday, is intended to clear the way for rescue teams to access the rubble of the collapsed tower No. 5, where the missing workers are believed to be trapped.

The dramatic measure comes after days

The dramatic measure comes after days of painstaking search efforts yielded limited results. The collapse of the 60-meter-tall tower No. 5 on Thursday trapped seven workers in total. So far, three bodies have been recovered, but hopes are dwindling for the safe return of the remaining four, two of whom are presumed dead. The collapsed tower was undergoing demolition after four decades of operation, ceasing its use in 2021.

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon, addressing the press at an on-site briefing, emphasized the meticulous safety precautions taken ahead of the demolition. "We have conducted safety inspections for the blasting of Nos. 4 and 6 and notified institutions located within a 1-kilometer radius of the blasting site," he stated.

Preparations for the demolition have involved weakening the structures of towers No. 4 and No. 6 by strategically cutting steel supports and pillars. Explosives have been carefully placed to ensure the towers collapse in a direction away from the existing debris field of tower No. 5. This precise directional collapse is crucial to avoid further destabilizing the rubble and potentially endangering the search teams.

Following the demolition, approximately 70 personnel,

Following the demolition, approximately 70 personnel, organized into eight specialized teams, will be deployed to sift through the wreckage. Firefighting authorities are coordinating the search and rescue operation, navigating the precarious and hazardous environment.

The Ulsan power plant is operated by Korea East-West Power, a state-run utility company. The incident has triggered a national outpouring of concern and renewed scrutiny of safety protocols within the country's aging infrastructure. The demolition of the two towers represents a critical phase in the ongoing recovery effort, with authorities racing against time to bring closure to the families of the missing workers. The success of the operation hinges on the precise execution of the demolition and the subsequent efficiency of the search teams navigating the complex and unstable debris field.