4 dead, 20 injured in Taichung mall blast (update 2)

Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) Four people have been confirmed dead, and 20 others have been injured following a gas explosion in a Taichung mall on Thursday, authorities confirmed.

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Operations have been suspended at the suspected explosion site -- the food court on the 12th floor of the Taichung Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store, where reconstruction work had been taking place.

It is still unclear whether that work was the cause of the incident, the National Fire Agency (NFA) said.

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said the city has set up an emergency response center with personnel from various departments including the Fire Bureau and Police Department to coordinate the rescue efforts.

She also urged the public to comply with traffic restrictions for safety reasons.

The NFA has deployed an emergency response team to assist in rescue operations. NFA Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) is leading the effort, the agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office said that they have dispatched personnel to the site to investigate what caused the incident.