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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Samuel Osborne

Didcot family furious over plans to blow up rest of station with bodies inside

The family of one of the missing workers trapped in the collapsed Didcot A Power Station say they will fight the decision to demolish the rest of the site with explosives.

Steve Hall, the son-in-law of Ken Cresswell, said: "We want the men back in one piece, not many pieces."

RWE Npower announced plans to bring the parts of the building which remained standing after the collapse. 

Mr Hall added: "We are totally against it and we will fight and do whatever we have to to stop that blast."

Mr Cresswell, 57, was one of four demolition workers killed when Didcot A's boiler house collapsed unexpectedly in February.

His body remains trapped under the rubble, along with those of Christopher Huxtable, 34, and John Shaw, 61.

Rescue workers say the rubble is too unstable to search, as engineers think it could collapse at any time.

The body of Michael Collings, 53, was recovered from the site

The cause of the collapse is being investigated by police and the Health and Safety Executive. 

In a statement, RWE Npower said: “We understand that any potential work involving further explosive demolition on site causes distress for the families.

"Having explored other manual options, our experts have made it clear that the quickest and safest way to bring the building down is by controlled explosive demolition.”

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