Possible Manslaughter Charges in Taichung Department Store Explosion

TaiwanPlus News

The initial investigation into a deadly blast at a Taichung Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store has determined a gas explosion as the cause. Prosecutors are now mulling manslaughter charges for those who are found responsible.

Transcript

00:00Looking for answers, in an investigation into what caused a deadly blast at a Xinkong Mitsukoshi

00:12department store in Taichung that killed four people and injured 39 others, the fire department's

00:18initial inspection found it was a gas explosion that ripped through the 11th and 12th floors

00:24of the building, which were under renovation.

00:46The investigation revealed that the fire safety equipment around the blast site had

00:50been illegally shut off before the explosion, and that the renovation of the two floors

00:55had not been approved, possible safety violations that could lead to fines of nearly US$37,000.

01:03Now prosecutors are looking into manslaughter charges for those who may be responsible.

01:08One day after the blast, Premier Zhuo Rongtai visited Taichung, where he urged central and

01:33local authorities to work together to confirm the building's structural safety.

01:38And on Saturday, President Lai Ching-de visited a Taichung hospital where injured people are

01:43receiving treatment.

01:44There, he promised the government assistance and a thorough investigation.

01:54In the wake of this blast, the department store has been ordered to suspend their operations.

01:59Shinkang Mitsukoshi also set up a special hotline, which they say will assist the families

02:03of the deceased and injured.

02:06For now, cleanup operations have begun at the blast site, while mourners have set up

02:11a makeshift memorial just outside.

02:14But as investigations into the blast continue, residents in Taichung remain shaken, still

02:19reeling from Thursday's events.

02:22Klein Wong and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.

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