Two questioned after 46 killed in Taiwan building blaze
- Prosecutors in Kaohsiung interview a man and a woman in investigation into fire that destroyed dilapidated structure
- The former department store was home to some of the southern city’s most underprivileged residents
The couple did not answer questions from the media on Friday morning when they were brought to the prosecutor’s office in the city of Kaohsiung on suspicion of endangering the public and negligence resulting in death.
The deadly blaze broke out early on Thursday, destroying several floors of the dilapidated 40-year-old Cheng Chung Cheng building, which housed some of the more underprivileged residents of Kaohsiung. The fire also injured 41 people.
The former department store fell into disuse after an economic downturn in the area and had been poorly maintained for years.
The prosecutor’s office said on Thursday that two people suspected of causing the fire were being questioned by police, as well as four eyewitnesses.
“The prosecution police are actively collecting relevant evidence including questioning eyewitnesses. We hope we can make sense of the case and find out the truth,” Hung Rui-fen, the lead prosecutor for the investigation, said visiting the wreckage in the morning.
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Deadly fire in Taiwan kills 46 in southern city of Kaohsiung, at least 40 injured
Television station TVBS reported that the police investigation found the man had taken his girlfriend to the building on a motorcycle late on Wednesday night, about three hours before the blaze. He then left the building alone after they had an argument, it said.
Police initially brought the woman in for questioning as an eyewitness, but found inconsistencies in her statements, TVBS reported.
A spokesman for the Kaohsiung police said the investigation was now led by the city’s prosecutor’s office and declined to discuss the police investigation. The spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office also declined to discuss the investigation because it was still in progress.
Another Taiwanese broadcaster Eastern Television said the woman had told police she had burned some sandalwood powder in her residential unit, behind an antiques shop on the ground floor of the building, but denied committing arson, while the man said he knew nothing about the fire.
Footage from nearby closed-circuit television and evidence collected at the site indicated “some suspicion” over how the fire began, according to Kaohsiung police chief Huang Ming-chao. He was speaking at a funeral home, where relatives of the deceased were identifying the remains.
“Relevant evidence was found at the scene. Indian sandalwood powder was burnt at the site to repel insects, which could cause smouldering and eventually fire to break out,” Huang said, but he stressed that the investigation was still in its preliminary stage.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said three people who died in the fire were originally from mainland China and had married Taiwanese.
The council said two of the deceased did not have relatives in Taiwan but the authorities would help their family members travel from the mainland to attend the funerals on the island.
Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai said the city had identified 34 mixed-use buildings that were more than 30 years old and did not a management committee, which is required by law to maintain each building.
“We have asked administrative, police and fire authorities to help with a full inspection [of these buildings] within three days,” Chen said. “If there is negligence in our administration or difficulties in implementing regulations, we will be held accountable according to our investigation.”
He also announced he would donate a month’s pay, or NT$167,478 (US$5,969) as reported in August, as would his cabinet members.
The move was mirrored by others in his Democratic Progressive Party, including Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice-President Lai Ching-te.
“Whether it is a request from the wounded or relatives of the deceased, I have asked my administration to assist them fully and ascertain the cause of the disaster as quickly as possible,” Tsai said on Friday morning.
The Presidential Office said Tsai would visit the injured and relatives of the deceased on Saturday.
From the opposition Kuomintang, former president Ma Ying-jeou and former legislature president Wang Jin-pyng offered flowers at the building, and the newly elected party chairman Eric Chu Li-luan visited hospitals where the wounded were being treated.
