Taichung, March 28 (CNA) The explosion at the Taichung Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store last month that left five people dead was caused by a gas leak, an official fire investigation report confirmed Friday.
In a brief statement that touched on the report’s findings, the Taichung Fire Bureau said it had concluded its investigation into the Feb. 13 blast and that it was caused by a gas explosion.
The statement did not provide any other details from the report, other then identifying cigarette butts, electrical wires, a gas pipe, and a circular saw as key evidence found at the scene.
The report itself was not released publicly and instead will be handed over to prosecutors for further examination and potential legal action against those responsible, the bureau said.
On Thursday, however, sources familiar with the matter told CNA that the leak likely occurred because of an internal project in the department store.
The sources said the department store had commissioned Shin Chung Natural Gas Co. to shut off the main gas supply due to planned layout changes.
But residual gas is suspected of having remained in the branch pipes, which were not purged before construction work began, sources said.
As a result, accumulated gas at the site ignited when a grinder was used to cut the pipes and created sparks, triggering the explosion, they said.
According to prosecutors, the explosion is currently being investigated as a case of negligent homicide, negligence resulting in injuries and public endangerment.
The incident occurred at around 11 a.m. on the 12th floor of the Taichung department store. The floor was undergoing construction work and was closed to the public.
Video footage of the explosion showed debris blasting from the building and scattering onto the streets below. The windows and exterior walls of the 12th floor were blown off, revealing the ruined interior.
Among the victims of the severe blast was a family of seven from Macau who had been passing by the department store at the time.
The grandparents perished in the blast, while a two-year-old girl, initially in critical condition, was airlifted back to Macau for treatment but succumbed to her injuries on March 7, bringing the total death toll to five.
