Two from Macau among four killed in Taiwan mall blast

A suspected gas explosion in a Taiwan mall has killed at least four people, including two grandparents from Macau who were on holiday with their family.

Five others from the same family were injured, including a two-year-old child who suffered a severe head wound, after the force of the blast sprayed large pieces of debris over the street below, officials said.

The family of seven were hit by debris as they left the department store, an official said.

A total of 26 people were injured, including an individual initially described as "without vital signs" but had been revived and added to the injury toll.

The blast occurred in the food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung city, the National Fire Agency said.

The floor was closed for construction work at the time of the incident, it added.

Online video showed the moment of the explosion, with cladding and other debris flying off the building and dust billowing from inside.

One survivor, Hong, in her 20s, said she went to the mall to pick up some luxury goods worth NT$100,000 (HK$24,000) but discarded them to rush to the emergency stairway.

According to Taiwanese reports, the woman, who had ordered items that included lipsticks, cosmetics and skincare products on the eighth floor, said: "Money can be earned again but you can only live once."

Liao Yu-fu, 26, who said he could see the mall from his home, was woken from a nap by the sound of the explosion and thought it was a "plane hitting a house."

He added: "There was a vibration and even my bed was shaking. The sound lasted for a long time and I was scared."

A woman who had been on the sixth floor of the store at the time said there was a "very loud vibration" and then debris began falling.

"At first, we thought it's an earthquake," the woman said. "When I walked down the stairs, there was broken glass on every floor at the elevator entrance. Every floor was affected."

Images released by the National Fire Agency showed extensive damage inside the department store, with twisted metal hanging from the ceiling and covering the floor.

Floors nine to 12 were affected, the fire agency said.

More than 200 people were evacuated from the store and six people rescued from elevators.

Taichung mayor Lu Shiow-yen said she had been working in the city government building next door when she felt a "vibration" at around 11.30am.

The fire department sent 56 vehicles, 136 people, a dog and a drone to carry out search and rescue efforts, the fire agency said.

Taichung Fire Bureau Chief Sun Fu-you said the explosion appeared to have been caused by gas but it was not immediately clear if it was related to the construction work.

As of yesterday afternoon, Hong Kong's Immigration Department said it had not received any requests for assistance from Hongkongers regarding the incident.

Jason Fan Kai-to, chairman of the Hong Kong Institutions of Engineers Gas and Energy division, suggested that the blast may have been caused by incomplete purging of gas lines during the dismantling process. Possible sparks then led to the subsequent explosion, Fan added.

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