TAICHUNG: A suspected gas explosion in a Taiwan department store killed at least four people and injured 26, authorities said on Thursday (Feb 13), with the force of the blast spraying large pieces of debris over the street below.
Rescuers were searching for survivors of the blast in the food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in the city of Taichung, the National Fire Agency said.
The floor was closed for construction work at the time of the incident, the agency said.
Video posted on social media and verified by AFP showed the moment of the explosion, with cladding and other debris flying off the building and dust billowing from inside.
Liao Yu-fu, 26, told AFP he was woken from a nap by the sound of the explosion and thought it was a “plane hitting a house”.
“There was a vibration and even my bed was shaking,” said Liao, who can see the department store from his home.
“The sound lasted for a long time and I was scared.”
A woman who had been on the sixth floor of the store at the time said there was a “very loud vibration” and then debris began falling.
“At first, we thought it’s an earthquake,” the woman told local broadcaster TVBS.
“When I walked down the stairs, there was broken glass on every floor at the elevator entrance. Every floor is affected.”
