Thames Valley Police have confirmed that the body recovered at Didcot Power Station yesterday has been formally identified as Ken Cresswell from Rotherham.
Above: A guard of honour marked the removal of Ken Cresswell’s body from the site. Photo from Thames Valley Police.
Ken Cresswell was one of four Coleman & Company demolition workers killed on 23rd February 2016 when part of Didcot A power station collapsed unexpectedly during preparations for a controlled explosion.
The body of 53-year-old Michael Collings from Cleveland was recovered in the immediate aftermath but three men remained unaccounted for. The search for them was hampered by the instability of the remaining structure.
It was not until 31st August, after a change of contractor and a controlled explosion to make safe the remaining structure, that the body of 34-year-old Christopher Huxtable from Swansea was recovered.
The body of Ken Cresswell, 57 from Rotherham, was found on the evening of 7th September and recovery was completed early the following morning.
A guard of honour was formed at 6.15am to mark the removal of the body from the power station site. It included representatives from the families of the missing men, Thames Valley Police, the Ministry of Defence, Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, RWE and Coleman & Company.
The search for the body of John Shaw, 61 and also from Rotherham, continues.
Mark Coleman, managing director of Coleman & Co., said: “Everyone at Coleman & Company is now hopeful that our remaining missing colleague is found very soon, so that all the families affected by this tragic incident can lay their loved ones to rest. All the families have no doubt suffered terribly, especially the three families that have had to endure an agonising wait during this complex and unprecedented recovery operation. It’s only right that we continue to acknowledge the hard work and professionalism of all agencies involved – thank you all.”
Meanwhile a joint Thames Valley Police and Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances that led to the collapse of the boiler house and the subsequent deaths.
This article was published on 9 Sep 2016 (last updated on 9 Sep 2016).
