A fifth body was recovered from the rubble of a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in Ulsan on November 12, 2025. The tower collapsed last Thursday during demolition, trapping seven workers, with two still missing. Search efforts resumed after adjacent towers were demolished for safety.
On Thursday, November 6, 2025, a 63-meter boiler Tower 5 collapsed at the Ulsan branch of the Korea East-West Power Co. thermal power plant. The tower was in the process of demolition after 40 years of use ending in 2021. The incident trapped seven workers under the rubble, with initial reports confirming three deaths, two presumed dead after being located, and two missing.
On Tuesday, November 11, at noon, adjacent Towers 4 and 6 were demolished to facilitate the search. These 63-meter towers flanked the collapsed structure and posed a collapse risk, leading to a suspension of operations on Sunday. Following the controlled explosions, eight teams of about 70 rescue personnel resumed digging through the debris, aided by cranes and cutting machines. Operations restarted within three hours after safety measures.
Around 10:14 p.m. that night, the body of a man in his 60s—the fourth victim—was found 3 to 4 meters from the entrance toward Tower 6 in Tower 5's rubble. Rescue crews used beam cutters to clear rebar and secure space for retrieval. On Wednesday, November 12, a fifth body was recovered, raising the confirmed death toll to five. Of the two still missing, one has been located but is presumed dead, while the other remains unfound.
The state-run utility operates the plant, and search efforts continue overnight with shifts of personnel.
