The China Post
Date: July 18, 2017
By: The China Post

• Explosions and an ensuing blaze hit Taichung’s Fengjia business district at noon
• At least one person was killed and 15 injured, one with serious burns
• One victim was a pregnant woman

LIVE UPDATES

8:08 p.m. People have been taking to the Facebook page of the eatery where the explosions happened, Sin Ji Bridge Curry Restaurant (心齋橋咖哩名物), to express support for the business. Many say they hope the shop can get back on its feet, like this loyal customer who said they’d eaten there many times in the past few years.

6:45 p.m. A recap of what’s happened: at 12:22 p.m., a serious of explosions occurred at a curry restaurant on the first floor of a building in Taichung’s Fengjia area. They are believed to have been caused by a sparking igniting a leaking gas cylinder.

The resulting fire destroyed three buildings, killing a woman on the second floor of the building housing the restaurant. Fifteen more were injured, with two in critical condition.

Investigations into the exact cause of the blaze are underway.

6:35 p.m. Two of the 15 people injured are in critical condition, with burns to more than 90 percent of their bodies, reports say.

5:52 p.m. The number of injured has increased to 15 after a person who was at the scene when the explosions occurred sought medical treatment independently. The other 14 were sent to the hospital for treatment by emergency personnel.

5:35 p.m. Following the discovery of a body at the scene, here’s the latest on the fire and the other victims. Fourteen people were injured, 10 women and four men. Of them, six were students at nearby Feng Chia University.

Nine of the victims had been inside the buildings at the time of the incident, with five of them suffering smoke inhalation.    [FULL  STORY]