In what appears to be a construction-related accident, an explosion at a mall in Taiwan killed four people an injured dozens including tourist, local officials reported Thursday.
The cause of the blast which took place in Taichung, a city on the western side of the Asian island about 100 miles off the county of China, remained under investigation Thursday.
According to Reuters, the blast took place on the building’s 12th floor, where construction work was underway.
The explosion caused damage from the ninth floor upwards, the fire department said in a statement obtained by the outlet, and two of the fatality victims and an five or the injured were tourists from Macau.
The Chinese region is on the south coast of the country, across from Hong Kong.
Taiwan’s president calls for immediate investigation into blast
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te , in a post on Facebook, ordered local officials to swiftly investigate the cause of the blast.
“I also remind everyone not to go near the accident site, so as not to affect the disaster relief and take into account your own safety,” the country’s president wrote in the post.
Contributing: Reuters
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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