1 dead and 3 missing at demolition site

A building collapsed 70 miles outside of London at a former power plant and has resulted in the death of one person with several more being taken to hospital. Homeowners in Essex may recognise the company RWE npower, which is the owner of the site where the incident took place. Fire and rescue services that are attending the scene and searching for additional personnel who are still missing have reported that there had been no hazardous materials present in the building.

The site in Oxfordshire houses the Didcot A and the Didcot B power stations. Didcot A was closed down in 2013 and RWE npower has been working with contractors to demolish the structure. The dual-fired station operated for over 40 years and was able to provide electricity for 2 million homes. Pictures of the site show that an immense building has partially collapsed, and reports from residents in the area suggest there may have been an explosion.

The owners of the site said that they were investigating the events surrounding the accident, but this is not the first incident at the site. The Didcot B plant, a gas-fired facility which is still in use, was the scene of a fire in 2014 which resulted in a partial shut down of operations. The area manager for Oxfordshire Fire Services said that they were still searching for three people at the site of the latest incident and that five more had already been taken to hospital.

Large-scale projects that involve teams of people working together require planning and careful coordination to ensure the safety of those on and around a site. People who have been injured while working on such an undertaking may wish to consult with a solicitor who has experience with industrial accident claims for legal advice regarding their situation.