Nurse recounts assisting victims in aftermath of Taichung mall explosion

Taipei, Feb. 14 (CNA) A nurse who was at a Taichung department store when a deadly gas explosion occurred on Thursday recounted the assistance he provided to injured people at the scene to the media Friday.

The man, surnamed Su (蘇), was caught on camera taking turns with another man to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to an injured individual. A woman next to them held up an IV drip. They were all praised for their compassion by netizens.

It turned out that Su and the woman, surnamed Kuo (郭) are both nurses who work at Changhua Christian Hospital. They were shopping together inside Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store when the incident occurred.

Su said they heard a sudden loud noise, felt the building shake, saw tiles fall to the ground and thinking there had been an elevator accident rushed to the first floor to help.

When the two arrived on the first floor they saw large amounts of debris and injured people on the ground. After encountering emergency medical personnel helping two men, they tried to assist others with injuries who were not being helped.

Su said they saw two individuals on the ground, a man who appeared dead and a woman with no obvious trauma who also showed no vital signs.

Su said he and a white-haired man administered CPR to the woman, while Kuo requested an IV bag from medical personnel at the scene.

The woman was later identified as the grandmother of a Macau family of seven visiting Taiwan. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

After more medical professionals arrived at the scene, the two nurses let them to do their work, Su said.

After helping to bandage and administer IV injections to two injured men, they left the scene once more medical professionals arrived, according to Su.

Changhua Christian Hospital said that Su and Kuo have worked in the hospital emergency room for five and four years respectively.

The explosion resulted in four deaths and at least 30 injured as of Friday afternoon, according to authorities.