Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) Six firefighters perished early Tuesday when the structure of a burning bowling center in Taoyuan collapsed on them, Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said.

The incident occurred when nearly 100 firefighters went to put out the fire in the coastal Xinwu District in the northern city, Cheng said in a Facebook post.

The six firefighters, all in their 20s, were found trapped on the second of the three-story building, officials said. Two people were rescued from the fire and sent to a hospital with injuries.

Cheng promised the best possible compensation for the bereaved families and an investigation into the cause of the fire and the question of whether the bowling center has any illegally built structure.

In Taipei, the Cabinet issued a statement expressing deep condolences over the death of the firefighters.

The Cabinet also said it will instruct the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Fire Agency, to review firefighting measures, including personal equipment and training to help prevent similar incidents.

(By Chiu Chun-chin, Tang Pei-chun and Jay Chen)
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