One dead and many injured after suspected gas explosion at Taiwan department store
At least one person died and 11 were injured after a suspected gas explosion tore away the top floor of a department store in central Taiwan on Thursday.
The blast took place at a food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung City at 11.33 am local time, the Taichung Fire Bureau said.
The death toll was expected to rise as four of the 11 injured people had no vital signs, the bureau said.
The blast was so powerful it threw at least four people out the windows of the building in the Xitun district, Focus Taiwan quoted the bureau as reporting after speaking to eyewitnesses.
The explosion was captured by a CCTV camera on a street outside. The CCTV video showed the glass panels of the 12th storey blowing up and leaving a pile of debris on the ground.
🚨 Breaking News from Taichung: A suspected gas explosion at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store leaves 7 injured and 5 dead. Rescue efforts underway as authorities secure the area. Stay safe, everyone! 🙏 #Taichung #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/FivnRGfjdi
— TVBS World Taiwan (@tvbsworldtaiwan) February 13, 2025
Emergency services rushed to the spot and dozens of firefighters were working inside the building to douse the fire and take the injured to hospital.
President Lai Ching Te called on 'relevant units to clarify the cause of the accident as soon as possible' in a Facebook post and directed the city authorities to conduct speedy rescue work.
The shock of the blast was felt in nearby areas. Taichung mayor Lu Shiow Yen told reporters at the scene that she felt the shock at her office nearby.
She said the fire bureau was focusing on rescue work first, but an investigation was underway and officers were checking whether there were other sources of danger.
The explosion was speculated to have been caused by a leak from a gas canister which was being changed at a restaurant or during renovations at the food court.
The incident came less than two months after nine people died in a massive fire at an under-construction food-processing building in Taichung city on 20 December. The fire in the building being developed by PX Mart supermarket chain was caused by welding sparks and spread rapidly through a large quantity of foam panels on the site.
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