9 dead, 16 injured in Taiwan hospital blaze
TAIPEI — Nine people died and another 16 were injured after a fire at a hospital in New Taipei City, local authorities said on Monday.
"We are pained by the accident and express our condolences to our Taiwan compatriots who lost their lives, to the bereaved families and to the injured," said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
The fire started on a seventh-floor ward at Taipei Hospital at around 4:30 am on Monday. There were 33 patients on the floor at the time, most aged over 50.
A nurse discovered the fire, and the four patients in the ward were safely evacuated, China Times reported.
Life-support machines for some patients had shut down, and they were unable to breathe during the evacuation procedure, while others suffered from smoke inhalation, media reported.
"When we arrived, there were flames shooting out of the ward. The rest of the wards on the floor were filled with heavy smoke," said a firefighter surnamed Chen.
- Interest in Turkiye soars among Chinese tourists after introduction of visa-free entry
- Yunnan e-bike fire probe identifies raft of failings
- Investigation report released on e-bike fire that killed 8 in Southwest China
- Understanding Xi's vision of China and the world through New Year message
- 'Artificial sun' experiment finds way to break plasma density limit
- China reports 20% rise in inter-regional trips on first day of holiday
