Emergency crews searching for three people missing after part of a disused power station collapsed have not picked up “any clear signs of life”.
One person was killed and five others hospitalised after a building at the Didcot A site in south Oxfordshire came down at around 4pm on Tuesday while it was being prepared for demolition.
A further 50 people were treated for dust inhalation as emergency crews with sniffer dogs worked into the night searching for the missing. Oxfordshire assistant chief fire officer Simon Furlong said: “We haven’t picked up any clear signs of life. We are continuing to search and locate the missing persons and we are working hard with the  other agencies.” He added that safety concerns are hampering the operation. “This is a very difficult situation with a very unstable structure,” he said.
“The safety of emergency service personnel has to remain our priority, while recognising how hard this must be for families waiting for news of loved ones. Our sympathies are with them, and the family of the person who died here on Tuesday.”
A 100-metre cordon has been placed around the remains of the steel and concrete building as the operation continues. Deputy chief fire officer Nathan Travis described the site as “challenging”. He said: “The building is potentially 10 storeys high — half of that building has collapsed, so you have got a rubble pile which is approximately 20 to 30 feet deep at the moment.
“The search will be considerable due to the instability of the site. We expect the search to continue ... possibly into the coming days.” Asked about the chances of finding those missing alive, he said: “At the moment I can’t give you any details on that but it is a substantial collapse of a building.”
The Health and Safety Executive said two investigators were continuing to work with police. Didcot A opened in 1970 as a coal-fired power station and was later converted so it could also generate power from natural gas. It ceased generation in March 2013.