At about 1:11 p.m. on March 23, a fire erupted inside wind turbine No. 19 at a wind farm in Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province.
Three workers who were repairing a cracked blade inside the turbine were killed when a blaze of unknown origin broke out and spread to nearby woodland.
Fire authorities deployed 14 helicopters, 78 pieces of equipment, and 314 personnel; they brought the blaze under control after roughly five hours.
Officials confirmed three fatalities: one in their 50s and two in their 40s.
Rescuers initially had difficulty locating the victims because their positions were hard to confirm. They found one body at the base of the turbine and recovered two more after the flames subsided.
Firefighters also faced challenges when parts of the structure collapsed during suppression efforts.
Police, fire officials and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency are questioning company representatives and others to determine the exact cause and the extent of the damage.
The Pohang branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor has classified the incident as a major industrial accident and will investigate it with relevant agencies.
