A gas explosion caused the death of five people at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store in Taichung last month, the Fire Bureau said today, sending evidence to prosecutors for further investigation.
The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the department store at 11:33am on Feb. 13, resulting in five fatalities and 26 injuries.
The Taichung Fire Bureau said in a news release today that it formed a special team to investigate the incident, conducting 13 inspections with nearly 100 investigators involved.
Photo: Taipei Times
After conducting on-site inspections, a committee of investigators, academics and experts unanimously agreed that the cause of the incident was a gas explosion, the bureau said.
The explosion affected the layout of the site, damaging pipelines and other potential evidence, making the investigation more difficult, it said.
The investigation team found various pieces of evidence at the site, including cigarette butts, electrical wires, gas pipes and a disc cutter, it added.
The bureau said it would deliver the investigation report, which confirms a gas explosion caused the incident, to the local prosecutors’ office and police precinct for further investigation.
Among the victims was a family of seven from Macau who were walking by the department store when the explosion occurred.
Both grandparents lost their lives in the incident, and a two-year-old girl succumbed to critical injuries on March 7 after being sent back to Macau for medical care on Feb. 26.
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