A cargo warehouse fire in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) left three people dead, while a fourth remained in serious condition yesterday.
An initial investigation showed that the four are Vietnamese workers, Taoyuan officials and police said.
Authorities said they received reports of a fire at a warehouse of Kerry TJ Logistics of Taiwan (嘉里大榮物流) at about 10am on Wednesday.
Taoyuan. Photo: Courtesy of the Taoyuan Fire Department
Firefighters contained the blaze at 8pm that night.
Police said the blaze was likely caused by work being done by a contractor on the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
They questioned the contractor, surnamed Chen (陳), who had hired six Vietnamese workers for the repair and maintenance work on the warehouse’s second floor.
The new warehouse, which opened on Dec. 1 last year, was reportedly built at a cost of NT$1.5 billion (US$48.79 million).
Investigators estimated that the fire had caused about NT$10 million in damage.
Officials at the scene first found two of the contractor’s crew — one man and one woman — outside the warehouse.
The duo said they had run outside when they saw the smoke and reported that their four fellow Vietnamese workers were missing.
Firefighters pulled two men from the warehouse at about noon on Wednesday.
Both had suffered burns and smoke inhalation: One of the men, surnamed Nguyen, 30, died in hospital, while the other, surnamed Tang (曾), 34, remained in serious condition.
Chen told police that he only knew one of the workers, who helped him recruit the other five.
“We had this repair and maintenance contract work during the Lunar New Year holiday period,” Chen said. “I have no idea how the fire started. When I went inside, it was already gushing with smoke... The workers were instructed to carry the pipes, equipment and other materials to the work site, where I had to supervise all the pipe fitting, welding and electrical work.”
Firefighters recovered two bodies on the second floor of the warehouse yesterday, which were believed to be the two other missing Vietnamese workers.
Following an initial assessment, Taoyuan Chief Prosecutor Chiang Yu-cheng (江祐丞) said that documents found on the bodies confirmed that the three dead people were Vietnamese nationals, but DNA testing would be carried out to verify their identities.
Taoyuan prosecutors said they would continue to investigate the cause of the fire and determine if the contractor had recruited the workers legally.
Taoyuan Department of Labor records show that the six Vietnamese workers had come to Taiwan through proper channels and with legal documentation.
However, the contractor could be in breach of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) if the workers were found to have left their original contracts to take jobs elsewhere without the consent of their original employer.
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS