▲ A wind turbine blade falls after catching fire in Yeongdeok County, about 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 23, 2026, in this photo provided by a reader. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Fire fighting helicopters drop water over a fire that broke out at a wind turbine site in Yeongdeok County, about 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on March 23, 2026, in this photo provided by a reader. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) wind turbine-fire

(2nd LD) 3 dead in wind turbine fire in eastern coastal county

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead with latest info; ADDS details in paras 3-4)

YEONGDEOK, South Korea, March 23 (Yonhap) -- A fire broke out at a wind turbine in the eastern coastal county of Yeongdeok on Monday, leaving three workers dead, authorities said.

The blaze began at around 1:11 p.m. at the turbine inside a wind power complex in the county, about 240 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to local fire authorities and the Gyeongbuk Provincial Poilce Agency.

Three employees of a wind turbine company died in the blaze while reportedly on duty at the turbine site when the fire broke out.

Two of them were initially unreachable, but police later confirmed their deaths.

Firefighters are experiencing difficulties in entering the structure as the fire has yet to be fully contained. Two of the turbine's three blades caught fire and fell to the ground.

Authorities have deployed 11 helicopters and 148 personnel to put out the blaze, which has spread to a surrounding hill. Around 70 percent of the fire has been contained.

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