A truck carrying gasoline slammed into the front of the main building of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in the heart of the country's government district last night. The explosion killed the driver and damaged the first and second floors of the building, but no other injuries were reported.
"The truck driver, Wu Kuai-chin (
"Wu burned to death immediately but there were no other causalities," the spokesman said, adding that police needed to investigate further to find out whether it was a premeditated attack or an accident.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The police department said it had ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
The ministry is located just one block away from the back gate of the Presidential Office and the main building of the Ministry of National Defense.
Presidential Office spokesman James Huang (
The Presidential Office called an emergency meeting last night to discuss how to improve security.
According to reporters who were inside the ministry building last night, the truck drove directly toward the front entrance of the building at about 7:28pm.
More than 200 soldiers, firefighters and policemen extinguished the blaze within 20 minutes, although the truck was left blocking the main entrance to the building for a few hours.
The owner of the Yu Li Traffic Company, who gave only his surname, Hsu, refused to comment on what might have motivated his employee to drive into the building.
"He is simply a driver to deliver goods and commodities," Hsu told reporters.
The police said that Wu had a criminal record that included convictions for drugs and violent crimes. He also had psychological problems, they said.
"There is no concrete evidence to prove that the explosion was the work of an organization," the police spokesman said.
Taipei prosecutor Hsueh Wei-ping (
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