Final Didcot victim identified

The body of the fourth and final victim of the Didcot power station tragedy in the United Kingdom has been found and identified.

Yorkshireman John Shaw was formally identified on Sunday, September 11, after being located two days earlier.

His colleague Ken Cresswell, who like John came from the town of Rotherham, was found on September 7, and Chris Huxtable of Swansea on August 31.

A fourth worker, Mick Collings of Teesside, was found soon after the collapse of part of the boiler house building at the site on February 23.

Mark Coleman, managing director of Coleman & Company, which was the contractor on site at the time of the tragedy, said on the company’s website: “For the families, the loss of their husbands, partners, fathers, brothers and sons is an absolute tragedy and everyone at Coleman & Company is deeply sorry for their loss.

“The families of Chris Huxtable, Kenny Cresswell and John Shaw, have had to endure an agonising wait for their loved ones to be recovered and during this time we have witnessed a spirit of togetherness and support for each other. All the families are in our thoughts and prayers and we remain committed to supporting them in any way we can.

“We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to RWE who took a leading role in planning the work that allowed recovery operations to continue, Alford Technologies who undertook remote demolition and Brown and Mason who provided people, plant and equipment to undertake the most sensitive aspects of the recovery operation in the most difficult of circumstances.

“Finally, our thanks go to the incredible work of the emergency services, rescue teams and all the volunteers who have taken part in the past seven months.”