Gas leaks triggered a series of powerful explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, killing at least 20 people and injuring up to 270, officials said earlier today. The toll is expected to rise.
The explosions sparked a massive inferno that ripped through the city´s Cianjhen district, sending terrified residents scurrying away from huge ball of flames.
The blasts late Thursday killed at least 20 people and left 270 others injured,” the National Fire Agency said, adding that the injured were being rushed to various hospitals in the port city.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing dead bodies littered on the streets.The explosions, believed to have been triggered by gas leaks, were powerful enough to upturn cars and rip open paved roads.
The exact cause of the gas leaks that triggered the explosions is still unclear.
