A gas explosion, 11 household fires and 15 gas leaks were caused by abnormalities at the Hsinchu County-owned Hsinchu Gas Co in the county’s Jhubei City (竹北) yesterday, with one person suffering severe burns over his entire body.
The Hsinhcu County Government has established an emergency task force and said it, alongside the gas company, would help victims of the incidents file for state compensation.
The company received a report of abnormal gas pressures at the gas regulator station near Jhongjheng Elementary School at about 8:10am yesterday, Hsinchu Gas’ construction branch deputy head Liu Hsien-jung (劉顯榮) said.
Photo courtesy of The Hsinchu County Fire Bureau
The company’s inspectors found the pressure limit for gas provision, which should have been set for 200 millimeters of water gauge (mm wg), had spiked to about 1,000mm wg in under three minutes, he said.
A pebble had entered the gas pipeline at the regulator station and damaged the axial flow valve for the depressurizing equipment, he said.
The company shut down the entire regulator station for emergency repairs, which had at one point led to a spike in pressure at the Taiho regulator station as well, but the company had turned off the depressurizing switch there to compensate, Liu said.
The company has conducted an emergency check on all nearby regulator stations and is confident that they are operating as usual, he said.
The area affected was Jhubei City’s Sanmin Road, Jhongjheng E Road and Boai Road, with a gas explosion reported at a mixed commercial-residential building on Jhongjheng E Road, the Hsinchu County Government said.
The explosion left at least 12 people trapped, but the ensuing fire was put out quickly and most people were evacuated unharmed, the county government said.
However, a 16-year-old surnamed Chen (陳) sustained severe burns across 90 percent of his body, it said.
The Hsinchu County Fire Bureau later said that the excess pressure might have caused gas pipes in the apartment where the explosion occurred to rupture at weak spots, or it could have led to sockets loosening, resulting in leaks.
The explosion is estimated to have caused NT$5.5 million (US$177,878) in damage, with the total burned surface area totaling about 40 ping (132.2m2), it said.
A local restaurant owner said that they did not know about the gas leak before the explosion, but had noticed some instability in the gas provision when they were preparing to open for business.
At the time of the blast, they had started the stove and were shocked to find the flame stronger than it should have been, they said, adding that they closed business for the day.
The incident resulted in injuries, the Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office said, adding that it would launch an investigation to determine whether it was a purposeful act or an accident due to negligence.
Additional reporting by CNA
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS