On the same day that Typhoon Krathon made landfall in the southern part of Taiwan, the fire started.
Authorities said that nine people perished on Thursday as a result of a fire that destroyed a hospital in southern Taiwan shortly before a typhoon made landfall. This made rescue efforts “more difficult.”
This picture taken and released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) on October 3, 2024 shows firefighters responding to a fire at Donggang Antai Hospital in Pingtung County. (Photo by CNA / AFP)
According to the agency, eight victims were declared dead after being transported for medical attention, and a ninth victim was discovered dead on the spot.
Typhoon Krathon made landfall in the southern part of Taiwan on the same day that the fire started, and according to the Pingtung County government, the area’s high winds and persistent rains made rescue efforts “more difficult.”
A luminous red and orange fireball surrounded by billowing smoke was depicted in one image made public by the county government, along with what appeared to be a water jet directed towards the fire.
Another depicted firefighters and fire engines wearing protective gear arriving at the scene.
According to the local government, search and rescue efforts were still being carried out by firefighters while an investigation into the cause of the fire was underway.
Numerous hospital fires in Taiwan in recent years have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people.
A fire that started at a hospice for the terminally ill close to Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, in August 2018 claimed nine lives and injured thirty more.
Thirteen people lost their lives and sixty more were injured when a cancer patient started a fire in a nursing home in southern Tainan City in 2012. The arsonist was sentenced to death.
In October 2021, a major fire at a dilapidated 13-story apartment building in Kaohsiung destroyed several floors in a few hours, leaving 46 people dead and 41 injured.
Authorities claimed that before leaving the building, a woman left unlit incense ashes on a sofa, which ignited the fire. She was indicted on murder and arson charges, but ultimately escaped the death penalty.
Additionally, the island was shocked when, in June 2015, a fireball tore through the crowd at a waterpark in northern Taiwan, killing fifteen people.
The explosion in Formosa Fun Coast injured close to 500 people, over 200 of them critically, and resulted in the party’s organizer serving a nearly five-year jail sentence.
Hurricane Krathon
As for Typhoon Krathon, its effects have so far resulted in two fatalities and over 100 injuries, forcing schools and offices to close for a second day.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) reports that just before it made landfall in the southern seaport city of Kaohsiung, the typhoon was packing sustained wind speeds of 126 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 162 kph.
Authorities in Kaohsiung advised residents to seek shelter on Wednesday, stating that the typhoon was predicted to rapidly weaken after landfall.
The interior ministry reported that as of Thursday, almost 10,000 people had been evacuated throughout Taiwan.