A suspected gas explosion at a residential building in Hsinchu City early this morning killed two people and injured two others, the Hsinchu City Fire Bureau said.
The bureau said it received a report of a suspected gas leak at about 3:52am.
Responders arrived at the scene at 4:05am and reported that a major explosion had occurred, prompting the bureau to deploy additional personnel to help with the rescue effort, it said.
Photo: Tsai Chang-sheng, Taipei Times
It was not clear when exactly the explosion occurred.
A 65-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman were found in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and were later pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
Preliminary assessments suggest the incident was caused by a gas explosion, the bureau said.
The incident affected about eight households and 18 residents, Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) told reporters.
Figures could change, as some residents were not at the scene or had yet to be contacted, she said.
The city has set up a "coordination mechanism" involving the local warden, district office and agencies such as the civil affairs and social affairs departments, to help victims and their families and support recovery and relocation efforts, Kao said.
Meanwhile, traffic had returned to normal after roads were temporarily closed following the incident, Gaofeng Village (高峰) Warden Kuo Peng-hsin (郭朋鑫) said on Facebook.
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