Soldiers use electronic sensors to search for missing persons believed to be buried after massive gas explosions in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. A series of explosions about midnight Thursday and early Friday ripped through Taiwan's second-largest city, killing scores of people, Taiwan's National Fire Agency said Friday. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (The Associated Press)
Taiwan gas pipeline blasts kill 25, injure 267
The Associated Press
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) - Heavy machinery pulled vehicles from huge trenches gouged by explosions along an underground pipeline in Taiwan's second-largest city that killed at least 25 people and injured 267.
The series of five explosions from about midnight Thursday to early Friday struck a densely populated industrial district in the port of Kaohsiung where petrochemical companies operate pipelines alongside the sewer system under city streets. The cause of the disaster was being investigated.
Four firefighters were among the victims when the blasts went off hours after they'd been called to investigate gas leaks. At least six fire trucks were flung into the rubble. The blasts sent flames shooting into the sky and hurled concrete and cars through the air, leaving meter (yard) -deep trenches down the middle of several roads.
Three people remained missing and many of the injured were still receiving emergency treatment. The disaster was Taiwan's second in as many weeks following the crash of a TransAsia Airways prop jet on the island of Penghu on July 23 that killed 48 people and injured 10.
"Last night around midnight, the house started shaking and I thought it was a huge earthquake, but when I opened the door, I saw white smoke all over and smelled gas," said Chen Qing-tao, 38, who lives 10 buildings away from the main explosion site.
The explosions were believed caused by leaking propene, a petrochemical material not intended for public use, said Chang Jia-juch, director of the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center. Chang said the cause and location of the leaks were unknown.
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) - Heavy machinery pulled vehicles from huge trenches gouged by explosions along an underground pipeline in Taiwan's second-largest city that killed at least 25 people and injured 267.
The series of five explosions from about midnight Thursday to early Friday struck a densely populated industrial district in the port of Kaohsiung where petrochemical companies operate pipelines alongside the sewer system under city streets. The cause of the disaster was being investigated.
Four firefighters were among the victims when the blasts went off hours after they'd been called to investigate gas leaks. At least six fire trucks were flung into the rubble. The blasts sent flames shooting into the sky and hurled concrete and cars through the air, leaving meter (yard) -deep trenches down the middle of several roads.
Three people remained missing and many of the injured were still receiving emergency treatment. The disaster was Taiwan's second in as many weeks following the crash of a TransAsia Airways prop jet on the island of Penghu on July 23 that killed 48 people and injured 10.
"Last night around midnight, the house started shaking and I thought it was a huge earthquake, but when I opened the door, I saw white smoke all over and smelled gas," said Chen Qing-tao, 38, who lives 10 buildings away from the main explosion site.
The explosions were believed caused by leaking propene, a petrochemical material not intended for public use, said Chang Jia-juch, director of the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center. Chang said the cause and location of the leaks were unknown.
The exploded gas line belongs to government-owned CPC Corp., which told The Associated Press there were no signs of problems before the explosions.
Video from broadcasters showed residents searching for victims overnight in shattered storefronts and rescuers placing injured people on stretchers, while passersby helped other victims on a sidewalk. Numerous fires sent smoke pouring into the night sky above the Chian-Chen district, where factories operate near residential buildings.
The government's disaster response center said it was trying to prevent secondary explosions. Some fires burned into midday Friday.
"In terms of what we can prevent, we're afraid another explosion could happen, as there is that possibility," said Hsu Lee-hao, a Ministry of Economic Affairs section chief staffing the disaster response center.
Many of the dead and injured had been outside near a night market and were hit by flying rubble or cars, a police officer at the scene said. Police and firefighters suffered burns while trying to control blazes.
Area resident Chang Bi-chu, 63, described seeing dead bodies along the roadside. "I felt really bad. After all there just was the air crash in Penghu last week."
Chang said the front door of her home was warped by the explosion and power was cut, leaving the house without lights or fans in the steamy weather.
"We don't have money to stay in a hotel and they're all booked anyway," she said.
Power supplies to 12,000 people in the area were severed, and 23,600 lost gas service. More than 1,100 people were evacuated overnight and the worst-affected areas were sealed off.
Chen Chu, mayor of the southwestern port city of 2.8 million people, warned people to stay away from the area and said the city had opened nine emergency shelters.
Backhoes pulled upended fire trucks and other vehicles from the rubble. Paramedics with rescue dogs combed the neighborhood for survivors.
Rescuers expected to find few, if any, people in the rubble because no buildings collapsed, the economics ministry's Hsu said.
Police officers and firefighters had investigated a gas leak on Kaixuan Road reported at 8:46 p.m. Thursday, but were unable to identify the source. They were closest to the fire during the initial midnight explosion, and many suffered burns.
Large trenches ran down the center of four of the hardest-hit roads, edged with pavement slabs torn apart by the blasts. Burned walls and toppled shop signs lined Sanduo Road, near an elementary school.
Taiwanese Premier Jiang Yi-huah announced that all flags would fly at half-staff for three days from Aug. 5 in honor of the victims of both the Penghu air crash and Kaohsiung explosion.
Much of the drama was captured on closed-circuit television, dashboard cameras and cellphones.
A video showed an explosion rippling through the floor of a motorcycle parking area, hurling concrete and other debris through the air. Cellphone video captured the sound of an explosion as flames leapt at least 9 meters (30 feet) into the air.
One witness said he tried to help before paramedics arrived.
"I was on my scooter just across the street, suddenly there was the explosion, a white car was blown toward me, and I saw the driver trapped in the car," said Wong Zhen-yao, 49, owner of a car repair shop in the disaster area.
"There was still fire nearby. I tried to pull the guy out but couldn't," he said. "Only after the smoke was gone did I realize there was such a big hole in the middle of the road."
___
Associated Press writers Ralph Jennings in Taipei and Chris Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.
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Boston protesters rally against gas pipeline
Opponents of a proposed natural gas pipeline protest across from the Statehouse in Boston. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
By Philip Marcelo THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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BOSTON — Opponents of expanding a natural gas pipeline through northwestern Massachusetts rallied on Boston Common on Wednesday, asking Gov. Deval Patrick to rescind his support for a new tax on New Englanders' electricity bills to help subsidize it.
The protest, attended by hundreds of supporters, was the culmination of a month-long ''rolling rally'' that marched through towns likely impacted by the proposed 250-mile long pipeline expansion in Berkshire, Worcester and Franklin counties.
Congressman James McGovern, D-Worcester, said the proposed pipeline route is ''irresponsible'' because it cuts through environmentally-sensitive lands and local farms.
Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, took time out from committee work to speak with pipeline opponents outside his office. Brewer told them he had opposed the siting of a prison in New Braintree when it was pushed by former Gov. Michael Dukakis.
"In a fight with David and Goliath, I stand with David," Brewer said. "I stand with you."
Sen. Jim Cutler, an Ashfield resident, said the pipeline would potentially cut a 100-foot swath through his property, including a tree where his mother's ashes lay.
''All this for gas I do not want or do not need,'' he said.
Organizers, who later marched to the Statehouse to deliver a petition to the governor, said the proposed electric ratepayer tax was ''unprecedented'' for natural gas projects.
They said the project would undo much of the good work Patrick, a two-term Democrat who is not seeking re-election, has accomplished in reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions and promoting renewable energy industries.
''Is that the legacy you wish to leave behind? One step forward, two back?'' asked Emily Norton, an activist from Townsend.
Gov. Patrick, who met with a small group of the protesters later Wednesday, said he remains skeptical about the Kinder Morgan project even as he remains generally open to new natural gas projects.
Other politicians also weighed in.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement she opposed the current Kinder Morgan proposal, saying the state must upgrade its energy infrastructure in ways that are ''consistent with Massachusetts' commitment to environmental conservation, clean energy, and energy efficiency.''
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey opposed the pipeline as proposed because it raises ''serious questions,'' including whether it is too large for the state's energy needs and could result in the natural gas being exported rather than used locally.
Kinder Morgan spokesman Richard Wheatley said the projected $3.75 billion pipeline's route, size and capacity are still not finalized.
The Houston-based energy company is conducting land surveys and aims to file application materials with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission starting in September, he said.
''There will be considerable opportunity for public comment during the course of permitting,'' Wheatley said.
Kinder Morgan wants to extend its Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to upstate New York, through the western and northern stretches of Massachusetts. The proposed extension would run from Wright, New York to Dracut, a town on the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.
Kinder Morgan says the project will help New England meet growing demand for low-cost energy as Massachusetts increasingly relies on natural gas for electricity.
Some opponents at Wednesday' rally focused on how they would personally be impacted.
Ben Clark, of Clarkdale Fruit Farms, said his family's nearly 100 year old farm in Deerfield would lose a minimum of 600 fruit trees under the plan.
''Our very way of life is being trampled,'' he said. ''Our orchards will be ripped apart and our iconic hillside will be destroyed.''
Information from State House News Service was used in this story.
8 comments | Add a comment
BOSTON — Opponents of expanding a natural gas pipeline through northwestern Massachusetts rallied on Boston Common on Wednesday, asking Gov. Deval Patrick to rescind his support for a new tax on New Englanders' electricity bills to help subsidize it.
The protest, attended by hundreds of supporters, was the culmination of a month-long ''rolling rally'' that marched through towns likely impacted by the proposed 250-mile long pipeline expansion in Berkshire, Worcester and Franklin counties.
Congressman James McGovern, D-Worcester, said the proposed pipeline route is ''irresponsible'' because it cuts through environmentally-sensitive lands and local farms.
Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, took time out from committee work to speak with pipeline opponents outside his office. Brewer told them he had opposed the siting of a prison in New Braintree when it was pushed by former Gov. Michael Dukakis.
"In a fight with David and Goliath, I stand with David," Brewer said. "I stand with you."
Sen. Jim Cutler, an Ashfield resident, said the pipeline would potentially cut a 100-foot swath through his property, including a tree where his mother's ashes lay.
''All this for gas I do not want or do not need,'' he said.
Organizers, who later marched to the Statehouse to deliver a petition to the governor, said the proposed electric ratepayer tax was ''unprecedented'' for natural gas projects.
They said the project would undo much of the good work Patrick, a two-term Democrat who is not seeking re-election, has accomplished in reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions and promoting renewable energy industries.
''Is that the legacy you wish to leave behind? One step forward, two back?'' asked Emily Norton, an activist from Townsend.
Gov. Patrick, who met with a small group of the protesters later Wednesday, said he remains skeptical about the Kinder Morgan project even as he remains generally open to new natural gas projects.
Other politicians also weighed in.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement she opposed the current Kinder Morgan proposal, saying the state must upgrade its energy infrastructure in ways that are ''consistent with Massachusetts' commitment to environmental conservation, clean energy, and energy efficiency.''
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey opposed the pipeline as proposed because it raises ''serious questions,'' including whether it is too large for the state's energy needs and could result in the natural gas being exported rather than used locally.
Kinder Morgan spokesman Richard Wheatley said the projected $3.75 billion pipeline's route, size and capacity are still not finalized.
The Houston-based energy company is conducting land surveys and aims to file application materials with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission starting in September, he said.
''There will be considerable opportunity for public comment during the course of permitting,'' Wheatley said.
Kinder Morgan wants to extend its Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to upstate New York, through the western and northern stretches of Massachusetts. The proposed extension would run from Wright, New York to Dracut, a town on the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.
Kinder Morgan says the project will help New England meet growing demand for low-cost energy as Massachusetts increasingly relies on natural gas for electricity.
Some opponents at Wednesday' rally focused on how they would personally be impacted.
Ben Clark, of Clarkdale Fruit Farms, said his family's nearly 100 year old farm in Deerfield would lose a minimum of 600 fruit trees under the plan.
''Our very way of life is being trampled,'' he said. ''Our orchards will be ripped apart and our iconic hillside will be destroyed.''
Information from State House News Service was used in this story.
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