Chunghwa Post yesterday said it would expedite the settlement of claims filed by postal insurance policyholders who died or were injured in a fire at a golf ball factory in Pingtung County last week.
The blaze and subsequent explosions at Launch Technologies Co’s (明揚國際) plant at Pingtung Technology Industrial Park (屏東科技產業園區) killed nine people and injured 110, with one person still missing, the Pingtung County Fire Department said.
For policyholders who died in the fire, beneficiaries of the claims can receive basic insurance payments at post offices after presenting their insurance policies and signing documents, the postal company said.
Photo: Yeh Yung-chien, Taipei Times
Those who were injured can apply for medical payments after confirming the number of days they spent in hospital, the company said, adding that the documents required for filing a claim could be completed later.
After a three-month grace period from the accident, Chunghwa Post would provide the victims or their families another three-month extension to pay their insurance premiums if they are unable to do so due to insufficient deposits in their insurance accounts, provided that they present documents proving that they were affected by the fire.
Meanwhile, policyholders affected by the disaster can apply for three-month interest-free borrowings with any new insurance policy they sign in the next three months, the company said.
If the insurance policy is damaged, a replacement policy would be issued free of charge, it said.
Families who had obtained mortgages from the postal firm before the disaster can apply for a one-year grace period, it said, adding that they only need to pay interest on the mortgages during that time.
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