A fire broke out early yesterday at a solar window film factory in Taoyuan’s Lujhu District (蘆竹), killing six people believed to be Vietnamese migrant workers employed at the facility, the Taoyuan Fire Department said.
The blaze started at about 2am in a staircase leading to a dormitory located on the second floor of the factory’s warehouse, officials said.
Twelve Vietnamese workers were housed in the dormitory, one of whom was not present at the time, the department said.
Photo: Wei Chin-yun, Taipei Times
While five of the workers managed to escape the building, another six were trapped in the fire, which was not brought under control until 6:10am, the department said.
Firefighters found six dead bodies at about 11:30am and launched an probe into the cause of the fire.
Department Battalion Chief Lai Chih-chung (賴志忠) said the victims failed to escape because the fire ignited near the stairway, blocking the exit.
Photo: Wei Chin-yun, Taipei Times
Although the bodies were burned beyond recognition, they are believed to be the six Vietnamese workers who were reported missing, Lai said, adding that prosecutors and coroners would work to identify the bodies.
Meanwhile, the city government said the victims’ families might not receive workers’ compensation under current laws, but pledged to do its utmost to uphold their rights.
The Taoyuan Office of Labor Inspection said that at the time of the incident the six deceased were suspected to have been resting in the factory dorm, which was not a working site and was not providing labor services, so it would be difficult for their families to apply for work-related disaster compensation, but added that the city government pledged to help them deal with the paperwork.
Photo: Wei Chin-yun, Taipei Times
The office found that Sican Co (矽卡有限公司), which owned the factory, has a record for non-compliance with municipal labor standards.
As of August, the company has been fined NT$30,000 and ordered to halt work until it improves safety measures that would prevent workers from falling and injuring themselves, the office said.
The company has also been fined NT$20,000 for not observing the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) due to its failure to pay workers overtime, the office said.
ECONOMIC RESILIENCE: Only 11.4 percent of Taiwan’s overseas investments last year were in China, and businesses are dispersing their investments elsewhere, Lai said China’s ambition to annex Taiwan is based on a desire to change the rules-based international order, rather than a desire for territorial gains, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview. During an appearance on the talk show The View With Catherine Chang, aired last night, Lai said China aimed to achieve hegemony, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was an issue of worldwide concern. During the interview, Lai also discussed his “four-pillar plan” for peace and prosperity, which he first outlined in an article published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year. That
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
RSS