Pharmaceutical factory explosion kills one, injures one in Taiwan
05 January 2021
An explosion at a pharmaceutical factory in Taoyuan City, Taiwan injured two workers on December 20. One of the injured people later died in hospital from third-degree burns to 90% of his body.
Representative image: Shutterstock
The incident happened at a factory belonging to SCI Pharmtech and caused a large fire that sent a large plume of black smoke into the sky. The blast itself was heard from several miles away.
A 30-year old worker died from burn injuries on December 21 while a 40-year old worker suffered minor burn injuries. Firefighters rescued both workers from the factory after arriving at the scene following the early afternoon explosion.
The Taoyuan City Fire Department said that it sent 76 firefighters to attend the scene. The fire was eventually extinguished on December 22. An investigation has been opened by local authorities to determine the cause of the blast.
According to news site euronews, an initial investigation by firefighters suggested a chemical leak in nearby sewers was the reason for the fire continuing to burn for two days after the explosion.