6 Vietnamese workers trapped in Taoyuan factory fire

6名越南工人被困在起火的桃園工廠

Firefighters are working right now to rescue 6 Vietnamese workers trapped in a Taoyuan factory fire


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Firefighters are working frantically to save six Vietnamese workers believed to still be trapped in a factory fire in Taoyuan, reported CNA.

At 2:09 a.m. this morning (Dec. 14), the Taoyuan Fire Department received a report of a fire in a factory in the city's Luzhu district, where it dispatched 43 firetrucks and ambulances and 107 firefighters.

The fire department said that when firefighters arrived on the scene a massive blaze was roaring through the two-story factory which was covered in metal siding. They believed source of the fire was a two-story worker dormitory which spread to the insulation and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic stored on the first floor of the factory, eventually engulfing an area of 1,000 square meters in flames.


(CNA image)

The fire was finally extinguished almost exactly four hours later at 6:10 a.m. Thus far, firefighters have been able to rescue five Vietnamese factory employees, including a 30-year-old man surnamed Chu (朱), who jumped from the 2nd floor and suffered a sprained right ankle and burns to his face, and a 26-year-old man surnamed Nguyen (阮), who sustained burns to his arms and legs, both of whom were sent to Chang Gung Hospital.

Other injured included a 23-year-old man surnamed Nguyen (阮), who suffered burns to his hands and feet, and a 34-year-old man surnamed Tran (陳), who also sustained burns to his hands and feet, both of whom were sent to the Taoyuan General Hospital for treatment. The fifth victim, a man surnamed Phan (潘), who experienced difficultly breathing due to smoke inhalation, was sent to Min-Sheng hospital for treatment.
However there are six more Vietnamese workers who are unaccounted for and are believed to be trapped inside. The six who are still unaccounted for include workers identified by the surnames of Phung (馮), Tran (陳), Bui (裴), Huynh (黃), and two people surnamed Nguyen (阮).

At the time of publication, firefighters were continuing efforts to rescue the remaining workers.

As for the damage assessment and the cause of the fire, firefighters are still investigating.

Founded in 1998, Sican Co., LTD. (矽卡有限公司) is reported to be the operator of the factory, where it manufactures automotive window films, ceramic paint protection films, and nano ceramic carbon films for buildings.