Residents interviewed by a stringer for China Global Television Network (CGTN) recalled explosion in the city of Taichung in central Taiwan on Thursday and spoke of the current situation.
The incident at a department store had killed four people and injured 30 as of 20:00 on Thursday.
All those injured in the blast have been hospitalized, and no additional victims remain trapped in the department store, according to local authorities.
Taichung's municipal news bureau said that the situation has been brought under control following a day of search and rescue work. The department store has been ordered to close its business, and prosecutorial authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blast.
The explosion occurred at about 11:00 in a food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store, causing substantial damage to both the facade and interior of the building.
"We were in the nearby building at the time, attending a meeting. Then, all of a sudden, there was a strong tremor. All of us shook like this. I thought it was an earthquake. And it turned out it wasn't. Then words came out that there was an explosion next door. I saw the rescue team coming very soon. I think the rescue response was OK. It's pretty efficient," said Mr, Lan, a logistics operator.
Another resident said the explosion scene was chaotic and stressed the need to save lives.
"I was outdoors moving stuff at the time. Then I heard a boom. I thought it sounded like a bomb going off. Then I thought it could be the big crane falling from the top of the building. The explosion blew things to the other side of the street. It was very chaotic. Iron bars, steel ropes were blown away. This is what I saw then at the scene. Save people first! We really need to save people first. Other things can be dealt with later. All we have to do is save people first," said Mr. Shen, a laundry employee.
Initial investigation suggested that the explosion was linked to a gas leak caused by construction work. However, the involved gas company said that gas lines had been shut off before the explosion, and some workers reported smelling gas at the site. Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact cause.
Residents recall chaos after Taichung explosion
