At least four people were killed and 30 others injured in a suspected gas explosion in the food court of a Taiwan shopping mall on Thursday morning, according to Taiwan’s state-owned news outlet.
The explosion occurred in the city of Taichung, approximately 100 miles southwest of Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, local officials reported. The fire department received a report at 11:33 a.m. regarding a possible gas explosion on the 12th floor of the mall and dispatched 136 personnel to the scene. Search and rescue teams remained on site until about 5 p.m., as reported by the Central News Agency.
Among the deceased, two individuals and five of the injured were identified as tourists from Macau, according to a statement from the Macau Government Tourism Office.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear, as stated by the fire department. Video footage shared online by the Taiwanese station TVBS News captured the explosion occurring in the middle floors of the building, sending debris and dust into the street. Additional clips aired by the station showed shoppers reacting to the explosion and evacuating the building.
President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan called for a prompt investigation into the cause of the incident via his Facebook page. He noted that the health ministry was coordinating medical resources to assist the injured.
This explosion follows a tragic incident less than two months prior, when nine people died in Taichung due to a large fire at a food-processing plant that was under construction. An initial investigation by the city’s fire bureau indicated that the fire was ignited by welding sparks that caught on paint and rapidly spread through insulation materials in the building, as reported by the Taipei Times.