A top New Taipei City official yesterday railed at the military for not reporting an accidental explosion that injured two officers in the Sansia District (三峽) at the nation’s leading ordnance production center.
The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, when staff members were testing the detonator mechanism for a 40mm grenade mortar at the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Systems Manufacturing Center.
A premature blast injured two army officers at the scene, a colonel surnamed Chen (陳) and a major surnamed Chu (朱), who were treated at a military hospital after suffering shrapnel wounds to their legs and abdomens.
The production center is under the Ministry of National Defense, and is the principal institution for the development of grenades, bombs and other explosive devices for the armed forces.
New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) yesterday slammed the ministry for the center’s failure to alert the local fire department and the municipal government and for not releasing details of the accident.
“It is outrageous. The defense ministry is still acting like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. We had to find out what had happened over there,” Hou said.
Hou, a former director-general of the National Police Agency and known for his tough image, said there are standard procedures to follow after accidents, in disaster relief and in rescue operations.
“We organized drills with the military’s participation. Any kind of accident affecting public security requires alerting the fire department. However, this was not done,” Hou said.
“Even though the accident occurred at a military facility, local residents have the right to know. What if it had been an explosion at a bomb depot or a missile site? Military accidents must be reported promptly, because an evacuation might be necessary,” Hou said.
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