Marami rin tayong kababayan sa Taiwan. Sanay wala sa kanilang naging biktima ng explosion...praying, praying..... **UNDERGROUND GAS EXPLOSIONS KILLS 25, INJURES 271 A series of underground gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has reportedly killed 25 people and injured 271 others, officials say. The series of explosions about midnight Thursday and early Friday struck a district where several petrochemical plans operate pipelines alongside the sewer system of Kaohsiung, a south-western port with 2.8 million people as it is Taiwan’s second-largest city. According to Channel NewsAsia, the local fire department received reports from residents of gas leakage at about 8.46pm and explosions started around midnight. The explosions sent concrete hurling through the air and blasting long trenches in the streets; bringing much damage in the area. The blasts overturned cars and ripped roads up as terrified residents fled what seemed like an inferno. Initial investigation yielded that the fires were believed to have been caused by a leak of propene, a petrochemical material not intended for public use. Chang Jia-juch, the director of the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center said it means that the resulting fires could not be extinguished by water and emergency workers would have to wait until the gas burns out. The source of the gas was not immediately clear, officials said. Sadly, four firefighters were reportedly among the 25 dead, with 271 people injured. Apparently, the firefighters had been at the scene investigating reports of a gas leak when the explosions occurred, the National Fire Agency said. Taiwan’s Premier Jiang Yi-huah said at least five blasts shook the city. The Kaohsiung mayor, Chen Chu, disclosed that a number of petrochemical companies had pipelines built along the sewage system in Chian-Chen district, which has both factories and residential buildings. “Our priority is to save people now. We ask citizens living along the pipelines to evacuate,” Chen told TVBS television. Owing to the explosion, power was cut off in the area which made it difficult for firefighters in their search for others who might be buried in rubble. Several videos came out showing pandemonium in the area with rows of large fires sending smoke into the night sky. Residents were searching for victims in shattered storefronts and rescuers were pulling injured people from the rubbles and placing them on stretchers while passersby helped other victims on a sidewalk.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:41:09 +0000
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