A gas explosion at a department store in Taiwan on Thursday killed four people and injured 26, fire authorities said. The blast occurred at the food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung city.
Among those dead were two people visiting from Macau, confirmed by Macao’s Tourism Office. Local media reported that they were part of a family of seven who were there for tourism.
The explosion caused significant damage to the building’s exterior and scattered fragments on the streets. Dozens of firefighters were deployed to the scene at about 11:30 a.m. The city’s mayor, Lu Shiow-yen, said she felt the shock from her office nearby and that the fire bureau would focus on a rescue operation first.
An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, with officers checking for other sources of danger. Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has asked relevant government agencies to investigate the incident.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-explosion-taichung-shin-kong-mitsukoshi-f01bf8916ca406bb5948ea3e8b022db5