A gas explosion at a kitchen run by Shan An Co (膳安公司) — which specializes in producing food for new mothers under the brand name Yu Shan Fang (玉膳坊) — caused extensive damage and injured 12 people in New Taipei’s Wugu District (五股) yesterday, investigators said.
New Taipei City Fire Department investigators said they found 20 liquefied natural gas (LNG) cylinders in the basement.
Nine of the 50kg canisters were connected to the kitchen upstairs and thought to be in use at the time of the explosion, investigators said, adding that two were empty, and the other nine had either been disconnected or turned off.
Photo: CNA
The company is suspected of refilling the cylinders without a business permit, fire department official Chen Chih-wei (陳志瑋) said.
“Filling and distribution of gas cylinders can only be done by licensed businesses. We plan to focus our investigation on whether the company hired workers to fill containers with gas for use in the basement,” Chen said. “It is possible that valves or the pipes themselves leaked gas.”
“If illegal operations have taken place, we will fine the company,” he added.
Local media reports said that the company was able to store 900kg of LNGin the basement and it that had employed people to refill empty cylinders.
After the injured people were transported to nearby hospitals, investigators entered the basement, where they said they discovered an area of about 10m2 littered with gas cylinders and still ablaze.
A company employee reportedly told investigators that one of the cylinders was being refilled when a leak occurred and spark ignited an explosion.
Investigators were also reportedly trying to determine whether a gas leak might have resulted from a loose connector valve.
The injured people — five men and seven women — were taken to several hospitals in New Taipei City and Taipei, firefighters said.
A man in his 50s suffered 27 percent burns to his face, back and upper limbs and was rushed to New Taipei City Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, the firefighters said.
The man was in stable condition as of press time last night.
The other injuries were mostly lacerations, the firefighters said.
Additional reporting by CNA
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
RSS