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Gas Explosions in Taiwan Killed Thirty, Injured Hundreds
Underground explosions devastated a district of Taiwan's second-largest city, Kaohsiung, in the early morning on August 1, killing thirty people and injuring over three hundred. The blasts were likely caused by a gas leak of propene, which complicated rescue efforts as water cannot extinguish the fires, forcing emergency workers to wait until the gas was burnt up. Propene is a petrochemical material, not for public use. Kaohsiung is a center for the petrochemical industry. Several petrochemical companies have pipelines built along the sewage system in the district where the explosions took place.
The explosions left about 23,000 people without gas and more than 12,000 without power. The local government has evacuated more than 1,100 residents from the impacted areas to schools and shelters as they tried to locate the source of the leaks and warned people to stay away. Prosecutors were investigating two companies for their roles in the leak of an industrial-use gas which they believe caused the series of blasts. But since there was a great deal of evidence to consider, the prosecutor would proceed quickly but with no deadline.
While investigators continue to search, authorities were taking steps to ensure that pipelines elsewhere in the country are safe. Taiwan's cabinet has ordered local governments to make sure the city and county computer records of underground gas pipelines are up to date and complete.
臺灣氣爆事件:三十死數百人受傷
八月一日凌晨,臺灣的第二大城高雄發生數起地下爆炸事件,造成三十人死亡、超過三百人受傷。爆炸的主因疑為氣體丙烯的外洩,由於清水無法直接撲滅火勢,使得救援工作難以進行,而緊急救難人員必須等到外漏的丙烯燃燒殆盡後才能行動。丙烯是一種石油化學的原料,並非公用。高雄是臺灣石化工業的中心。多家石化產業公司在地下均設有輸導管,而爆炸發生的區域下即有許多條沿著汙水系統建設的管線。
氣爆導致兩萬三千多名住戶沒有瓦斯使用,而有超過一萬兩千人的用電受到影響。為了找出氣體洩漏的源頭,當地政府已從受災區撤離超過一千一百位居民至學校和避難所,並警告其他民眾遠離該區。檢查官已鎖定兩家公司並調查他們所供應的工業用氣體和連環爆炸事件的關聯。但由於檢察官須考量的證物太多,調查將會快速展開但無結案期限。
當調查持續進行,官方也逐步確認臺灣其他地區地下管線的安全性。臺灣內閣也下令地方政府確保全臺地下管線的電腦紀錄即時且完整。
《Vocabulary》
1. propene n. 丙烯
2. complicate v. 使複雜化
3. extinguish v. 熄滅
4. petrochemical adj. 石油化學的
5. sewage n. 汙水
6. evacuate v. 撤離
7. shelter n. 避難所
8. prosecutor n. 檢察官
9. deadline n. 截止期限
10. cabinet n. 內閣
資料來源:
http://www.voanews.com/content/huge-gas-explosions-kill-15-injure-hundreds-in-taiwan/1969313.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/08/01/taiwan-gas-explosion/13450705/
http://www.voanews.com/content/taiwan-checks-gas-lines-probes-companies-after-deadly-blasts/1971766.html
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