- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Gas Explosions Kill 25, Injure 267 in Taiwan

Subscribe
Underground explosions Thursday evening in the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan killed at least 25 people and injured 267, including 4 dead and 20 wounded among security officials, according to the National Fire Agency.

MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) – Underground explosions Thursday evening in the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan killed at least 25 people and injured 267, including 4 dead and 20 wounded among security officials, according to the National Fire Agency.

“The Kaohsiung City Fire Bureau was notified at 8:46 p.m. Thursday of a gas leak. At 11:59 p.m., several explosions and fires erupted over a 2-3 square kilometer area, affecting parts of Kaixuan 3rd Rd., Ersheng Rd., Ruilong Rd., Sanduo 1st Rd. and Gangshan South Rd,” authorities said in a press release.

Prime Minister of Taiwan Jiang Yi-huah said that there were at least 5 explosions Kaohsiung with the population of 2,8 million people, Central News Agency reports.

The blasts were of such magnitude that rescuers found some of the victims on the roof of a residential building.

Thought the exact cause of catastrophe is not determined as of yet, local reports consider ruptured pipelines be the reason.

Since the source of the blast was most likely propylene, which, mixed with oxygen, becomes explosive, firefighters couldn’t use water to extinguish the blaze and were forced to wait until the gas burns out.

Rescuers reported that two injured people were found on top of a roof of a four-storeyed building on Friday. They were conscious and taken to a hospital.

Moreover, a car was thrown on the roof of a three-storeyed building in a neighboring area.

The footage from the scene shows upturned cars, streets torn apart by huge trenches and cracks, and flames tearing out of the ground, showering everything with rocks and dirt.

“The explosions were like thunder and the road in front of my shop ripped open. It felt like an earthquake,” Taiwan's Central News Agency quoted a witness as saying.

Currently, there are 8 shelters open in Kaohsiung, accommodation 1,110 people, according to the Agency.

A total of 1,649 emergency workers and 324 vehicles are in the area performing rescue work, authorities said in a press release.

According to the press release, President Ma instructed central and local authorities to devote all efforts to medical, firefighting and police follow-up work, and concentrate personnel and resources on the rescue mission.

“The government will exert all its energy to respond to this disaster and find the cause of the explosions,” he was quoted as saying.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала