week5

Dozens dead as Taiwan gas explosions tear up streets

(CNN) -- A downtown district of the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung was ripped apart just before midnight Thursday by a series of explosions that killed at least 26 people and injured hundreds more, state news agency CNA reported.

The blasts, which were triggered by underground gas leaks, tore trenches through main roads, overturned cars and trucks, and sent flames leaping into the air in the city's Cianjhen district.

Witnesses said they saw vehicles flung into the air by the force of the explosions; one car was found on the roof of a three-story building.

Zong Han-Li was driving when the explosion happened directly in front of him, and his dashboard camera caught the moment the gas ignited.

Two people were blown to the roof of a four-story building, where emergency workers found them and took them to the hospital, CNA reported.

Firefighters from neighboring cities rushed to Kaohsiung to help battle several fires, which had been mostly contained by Friday morning.

At least 26 people were killed, including four firefighters. Twenty-two emergency workers were among 267 people injured, officials said. A number of people were still missing, including a senior fire official who went to investigate reports of a gas leak.

As daylight broke, the extent of the damage became clear, with wrecked cars and motorcycles strewn across the cratered streets.

Dave Flynn, an English expatriate who has lived in the city for several years, visited the site of the explosions Friday morning. He said a huge trench had been gouged along the length of a main thoroughfare for several kilometers, and the pavement had been thrown to the side of the road, damaging vehicles.

Schools and offices in the Cianjhen district, as well as in the neighboring Lingya district, were closed Friday to facilitate rescue efforts, Mayor Chen Chu said. Several schools and a cultural center are being used as emergency shelters.

Authorities suspect ethylene, propane or butane in the explosions. There are several petrochemical factories in the region.

The government called up hundreds of soldiers to assist in search and rescue efforts.

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-people

   WHEN-7/31

   WHAT-Gas explosion

   WHY- many factors

   WHERE-Taiwan

    HOW- many factors

Keywords：

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