At least three dead in South Korea power plant collapse as rescue efforts continue

Seoul - A South Korean fire official said on Friday that at least three workers had died after the collapse of a large structure at a power station in South Korea that was being prepared for demolition.

Two other workers had been located under the rubble and were presumed to have died, while two remain missing, the official, Kim Jung-shik, told reporters.

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.

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, Kim 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.

(Reporting by Jack Kim and Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies)