(MENAFN) Rescue teams extracted another victim's remains Sunday from the devastating rubble of a collapsed boiler tower that crumbled during demolition operations at a state-operated power facility in southeastern South Korea, pushing the confirmed fatality count to three.

Emergency responders pulled the 44-year-old worker's body from the wreckage Sunday morning at the Ulsan complex operated by Korea East-West Power Co., a government-owned energy provider, according to media.

The catastrophic structural failure struck Thursday as demolition crews dismantled the 60-meter (196-foot) tower, instantly trapping seven laborers beneath tons of concrete and steel debris.

Authorities revealed the man succumbed to his injuries Friday while buried alive under the collapsed infrastructure, though rescue operations couldn't penetrate deep enough to reach him until two days later.

Firefighters had previously recovered two bodies Friday, establishing the initial death toll before Sunday's grim discovery.

Officials believe two additional workers perished and remain entombed within the debris field, while the status of the final two missing laborers remains unknown.

The decommissioned boiler tower had stood dormant since 2021 after four decades of continuous operation before crews initiated its scheduled dismantling Thursday.

Rescue operations continue as emergency personnel work around the clock to locate the four workers still unaccounted for in one of South Korea's deadliest industrial accidents this year.

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