Sinkhole, gas leak prompt emergency evacuation near Taipei FPG site

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) A road collapse and gas leak occurred Wednesday morning at the redevelopment site of Formosa Plastics Group's (FPG) former headquarters in Taipei's Songshan District, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents and traffic restrictions, authorities and the company said.

Taipei's Fire Department said it received a report at 10:42 a.m. that the road in Alley 16, Lane 199, Dunhua North Road had collapsed, creating a sinkhole measuring about 4 meters long, 2 meters wide and 1 meter deep. A strong smell of gas at the scene indicated a ruptured gas pipeline.

Firefighters cordoned off the area, evacuated nearby residents, imposed traffic restrictions and notified relevant Taipei City government agencies to assess the situation. The gas company also shut off the gas supply as emergency crews responded.

Formosa Plastics Group confirmed the incident occurred at the construction site for the redevelopment of its former headquarters.

The company said a slight collapse of the site's diaphragm wall damaged a nearby gas pipeline, causing the leak.

Emergency response work was underway, it said, adding that it would explain the cause of the incident and provide further details jointly with the project's general contractor after completing its initial assessment.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) visited the site at around 1:30 p.m. and said the city had ordered work at the construction site suspended and instructed the contractor to immediately backfill the excavation to stabilize the area.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠), who visited the scene after receiving complaints from local residents, said nearby residents were concerned that construction work may have undermined the ground beneath surrounding buildings and threatened the structural safety of neighboring properties.

No injuries had been reported as of press time.