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Agence France-Presse in Taipei

Authorities in Taiwan’s second largest city on Friday sealed off two streets and evacuated residents over a fresh gas leak at the same site of last week’s fatal explosions.
The massive gas blasts in the southern city of Kaohsiung last Thursday left 30 dead and more than 300 injured – the most deadly of their kind in Taiwan’s history.
“We are determining the quantity of gas [leaking]. So far the highest percentage is methane and there are other types of gas,” said Chen Chin-der, chief of Kaohsiung city’s environmental protection bureau.
“We have ordered temporary evacuation and restricted the streets since there is danger as the leak continues.”
It was not immediately clear how many residents had been evacuated.

Television footage showed that two streets had been cordoned off while workers used loudspeakers to ask residents in the area to evacuate to two schools.
Thursday’s blasts sparked massive fires that tore through main roads in Kaohsiung, in the south of Taiwan, leaving trenches running down the middle of some streets and throwing vehicles onto the roofs of buildings several stories high.
The city government blames LCY Chemical Corporation for the explosions, saying around 10 tonnes of propene may have leaked from pipelines operated by the company in the hours before the first explosion.
President Ma Ying-jeou has vowed a full investigation into the cause of the accident and a review of the city’s gas supply network.
Kaohsiung lies adjacent to a huge petrochemical complex housing dozens of plants, and many pipelines run under the densely-packed city.
 


Kaohsiung evacuates residents over fresh gas leak at blast site 

Aerial photo shows the evacuated area around a road ripped up by underground gas explosions in Kaohsiung on August 2. Photo: EPA

A pipe vents gas from underground as workers search after the August 2 explosion in Kaohsiung. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Taiwan investigators raid offices of Kaohsiung gas blast companies

Investigators gather evidence at the scene of the gas blasts in Kaohsiung. Photo: CNA

Taiwan President orders island-wide pipeline check after deadly Kaohsiung explosions

Ma Ying-jeou inspects the site of the disaster. Photo: AFP

Workers inspect a damaged store. Photo: CNA

Relatives pay respect to the dead. Photo: Ada Lee

Workers inspect a hole. Photo: Ada Lee

The search for survivors, including two firefighters, continues on Saturday. Photo: Ada Lee


Rubble separates the sides of the roads following the gas blast. Photo: Ada Lee

Charred pieces of firefighters’ uniforms were found at the scene on Saturday as two officers remained missing. Photo: Ada Lee

Relatives makes offerings and burn joss sticks at the scene. Photo: Ada Lee

Volunteers distribute food, water and daily necessities to displaced residents. Photo: Ada Lee

News

China

Taiwanese authorities seal off two roads after a new gas leak is detected in the area where 30 people lost their lives in devastating explosions last week


Authorities in Taiwan’s second largest city on Friday sealed off two streets and evacuated residents over a fresh gas leak at the same site of last week’s fatal explosions.
