A gas explosion rocked a department store in central Taiwan on Thursday morning, resulting in four deaths and 29 injuries, local authorities reported. The explosion took place on the 12th floor of the 14-story Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung, which was undergoing renovations.
Among the victims, two were visitors from Macao, while the other two fatalities included a female employee of the store and a worker involved in the renovation. Approximately 200 people were evacuated from the building following the blast.
Eyewitnesses reported that four individuals were blown out of the windows on the 12th floor, where the store hosts several restaurants, according to the Taichung Fire Bureau. The incident occurred in the city’s Xitun District.
Taiwan’s President, Lai Ching-te, stated on Facebook that he has instructed relevant agencies to investigate the cause of the explosion promptly. Taichung city authorities have ordered the department store to suspend operations until safety can be confirmed.
The department store is operated by Taiwan’s Shin Kong Group in partnership with Japan’s Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd.
Television footage showed shattered glass scattered on the street, with thick smoke pouring from the building. One evacuee reported seeing injured people on the ground, some with burned hair.
A 30-year-old handyman working in a nearby shop described feeling the building shake for about 10 seconds following the explosion, and later witnessed debris scattered across the area. A local resident, 47, who lives near the department store, said, “I thought it was an earthquake or maybe a bomb.”
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