Four people have died and another 26 have been injured in a gas explosion at a restaurant in a department store in Taichung in western Taiwan on Thursday, according to the rescue service.
The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store, where a comprehensive rescue operation was initiated. Images from the scene show how parts of the building's facade were blown out in the explosion and scattered on the street below.
Taichung's mayor Lu Shiow-yen was working in her office nearby and felt the building shake in the explosion.
The explosion is very serious and the rescue work is ongoing, says Lu.
The area is believed to have been closed for construction work at the time of the incident, according to the rescue service.
