At least 4 dead, 21 injured after blast in factory in northern Taiwan

At least 4 dead, 21 injured after blast in factory in northern Taiwan

2011-04-23 00:31:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW TAIPEI, TAIWAN (BNO NEWS) -- An explosion on Friday killed at least four people and injured 21 others in a factory in northern Taiwan, the state-run Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

The blast took place in a paper mill that manufactures fake money (ghost money) which is burned by Taiwanese people in rituals to pay respect to the dead. The factory is located in New Taipei City.

Authorities said that the blast may have been caused by firecrackers and fireworks stored in the facility. After the explosion, the factory was caught on fire as well as some vehicles parked nearby.

In addition, many windows of the surrounding buildings were shattered as the explosion damaged structures up to 100 meters away from the paper mill. A total of 25 cars were damaged, 8 of them by fire.

One driver was killed after his vehicle was caught on fire while passing by the factory. A man and a woman were also killed in the explosion while a fourth victim was scorched beyond recognition.

New Taipei Fire Department finally controlled the fire at about 10:30 p.m. local time. Nine buildings were also affected and authorities launched an investigation to determine the cause of the incident.

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