February 14, 2025
SINGAPORE – An explosion at a central Taiwan department store on Feb 13 has left at least four dead and more injured, Taiwanese media reported.
The blast happened at around 11.30am on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi mall located in the Xitun area of Taichung city.
The death toll was revised down from five earlier, with a two-year-old girl rescued after being previously classified as an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, Taiwanese broadcaster EBC reported. More than 20 others were injured in the blast.
Ceiling-to-ground windows that were part of the building’s facade can be seen shattered in images circulated online.
The explosion was linked to a suspected gas leak when a gas tank was being replaced at the mall’s foodcourt, the Liberty Times reported.
Mr Liao Yu-fu told AFP he was woken from his sleep by the sound of the explosion, which he compared to a “plane hitting a house”. The 26-year-old can see the department store from his home.
“There was a vibration and even my bed was shaking,” said Mr Liao. “The sound lasted for a long time and I was scared.”
An unnamed woman who was on the sixth floor of the store when the blast occurred, told local broadcaster TVBS that she thought it was an earthquake at first.
“When I walked down the stairs, there was broken glass on every floor at the lift entrance,” said the woman. “Every floor is affected.”
The foodcourt was closed for refurbishment, Taichung mayor Lu Shiow-yen told reporters at the scene.
She added that rescue operations were ongoing, with reports of people stuck in the building’s disrupted lifts.
The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the blast at 11.33am and firefighters and ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
Among the casualties were seven members of the same family from Macau, including two seniors who were confirmed dead, said an official from Cheng Ching Hospital.
The hospital’s vice-president told local media that the family was struck by falling debris as they exited the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi building.
The Taichung City local government has issued an emergency notice on the gas explosion.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the Ministry of Health and Welfare is actively coordinating medical resources to provide the best care for the injured.
Investigations into the cause of the blast are ongoing.