The central government would assist local governments to enhance public safety, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday as he visited people in hospital who were injured in an explosion at a department store in Taichung on Thursday.
A suspected gas explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang department store in Taichung at 11:33am on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 36.
Of the 40 casualties, 39 were hospitalized, Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
Three died after out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, the data showed.
As of 6am yesterday, 25 of those injured had been discharged from hospital, leaving 11 hospitalized, with five in intensive care units and six in general wards, the data showed.
Lai visited Lin Shin Hospital and Taichung Veterans General Hospital yesterday morning.
Many people are very concerned and saddened about the incident at the department store, which caused many deaths and injuries, he said.
Lai said that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has instructed the National Fire Agency and the ministry to help the Taichung City Government enhance its fire control, disaster relief and medical treatment procedures.
“I hope Premier Cho will also instruct government agencies to assist local governments to ensure public safety, as they cause many casualties, great societal loss and great harm to families,” Lai said.
“We must enhance the prevention of occupational incidents, including paying attention to construction procedures, to prevent injuries to workers,” he added.
Lai wished the patients a speedy recovery and thanked Taichung City Government officials, especially the firefighters, rescue workers, healthcare practitioners and volunteers who helped at the scene and in hospital.
The Taichung Fire Bureau on Friday said that its initial findings on the cause of the department store blast was a possible gas leak, as interior renovations were being done on the 11th and 12th floors.
Separately, Changhua Christian Hospital yesterday awarded Gou Yun-hsuan (郭芸?) and Su Yi-fan (蘇奕帆) — nurses from its Emergency Department — a cash gift of NT$100,000 for voluntarily performing emergency treatment for people outside the department store immediately after the explosion.
The two nurses were shopping at the department store at the time and rushed to the first floor and helped perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an injured person, Changhua Christian Hospital said.
Hospital superintendent Chen Mu-kuan (陳穆寬) said it was rewarding Gou and Su for their bravery and selfless dedication to saving lives.
Through the cash gift, the hospital expresses its gratitude and hopes to convey its belief that the value of healthcare practitioners is not limited to hospital buildings, but that they can save lives at any place at any time, Chen said.
Meanwhile, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi pledged to give the families of the four people who died NT$11 million (US$335,673) each.
The compensation packages, comprising condolence money and insurance payments, are to “express its deepest sympathy and support for the victims’ families,” it said in a statement.
The families are being assisted in dealing with the aftermath, it said, adding that it is also providing all necessary support and assistance, including paid leave, to ensure the working rights of its staff are not affected.
Additional reporting by CNA
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