South Korea power plant collapse kills one as safety fears hamper rescue

Seoul: A worker has died and six remain trapped on Friday after the collapse of a large structure at a power station in South Korea that was being prepared for demolition, fire and rescue officials said.

Workers were in the process of taking down parts of the massive steel structure, a decommissioned heating facility, when it collapsed on Thursday afternoon.

Footage from the scene showed the structure mangled and toppled over, surrounded by similar structures.

Two people were quickly rescued and then two others were later spotted under the rubble, fire official Kim Jung-shik told reporters.

One worker was confirmed dead early on Friday and the condition of another remained unclear, he said.

Rescuers had deployed heat sensors, remote scopes and search dogs to assist the rescue operation and locate the other trapped workers, though their efforts have been hampered by the risk of a further collapse of the structure, he said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has made it a priority to improve workplace safety, has ordered an all-out effort to save the workers who remain trapped.