This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-36818003
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Didcot power station: Search to resume after demolition | Didcot power station: Search to resume after demolition |
(35 minutes later) | |
Search efforts for three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse are set to resume after the remainder of the building was demolished earlier. | Search efforts for three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse are set to resume after the remainder of the building was demolished earlier. |
A remote demolition brought down the decommissioned site at around 06:00 BST in a unique operation using remote-controlled robots. | |
Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, and Chris Huxtable, 34, were trapped under rubble on 23 February. | |
The body of Michael Collings, 53, of Teesside, was recovered. | |
The building - which was due for demolition when it partially collapsed - had been too unstable to be approached prior to the demolition. | |
BBC News correspondent Amanda Dellor, who was at the scene, said it looked like the operation had gone to plan. | |
The charges went off one minute after six and the building came down "very quickly", covering the entire site in a dust cloud, she added. | The charges went off one minute after six and the building came down "very quickly", covering the entire site in a dust cloud, she added. |
Now the explosives attached to the structure have been detonated, teams will be deployed to resume searching the remnants of the plant for the first time since May. | Now the explosives attached to the structure have been detonated, teams will be deployed to resume searching the remnants of the plant for the first time since May. |
The families of the three men yet to be recovered had opposed plans to use explosives for the demolition. | The families of the three men yet to be recovered had opposed plans to use explosives for the demolition. |
Ken Cresswell and John Shaw were both from Rotherham, while Chris Huxtable was from Swansea. | |
Steve Hall, son-in-law of Mr Cresswell, previously said: "We want the men back in one piece, not many pieces." | |
Roland Alford, the explosives contractor at the power station, said the four-month delay in completing the demolition was necessary on safety grounds. | Roland Alford, the explosives contractor at the power station, said the four-month delay in completing the demolition was necessary on safety grounds. |
He added: "It was almost unthinkable to send people to work underneath there and place charges, given the fact the building could come down at any moment - you legally can't justify that." | He added: "It was almost unthinkable to send people to work underneath there and place charges, given the fact the building could come down at any moment - you legally can't justify that." |
Last week, letters were sent to people living nearby informing them preparations for the demolition had started. | Last week, letters were sent to people living nearby informing them preparations for the demolition had started. |
It said noise from the explosion would last "about a minute" and any airborne dust would not be harmful "but could cause a nuisance". | It said noise from the explosion would last "about a minute" and any airborne dust would not be harmful "but could cause a nuisance". |
Residents took to social media to report the size of the explosion and to send the wishes to the mens' families. |