One killed, 13 injured in Taiwan factory blast

TAIPEI - A blast Thursday evening and ensuing fire at a metal product factory in Taiwan's western Chang-hua county has left one person dead and 13 others injured, the county's fire department said Friday.

The fire was reported to the department at 7:51 pm and took firefighters about five hours to extinguish, it said.

The blaze destroyed factory facilities and products, causing an estimated direct loss of 8.5 million New Taiwanese dollars (about $287,000). A leak of flammable methylbenzene chemicals stored in the factory is believed to have caused the explosion, according to the bureau.

Closed-circuit screening images aired by local TVs show a huge fireball erupting while several workers work on a production line. "They were producing an additive used for making metal mold," a fire bureau official responsible for the probe told Xinhua.

An investigation into the accident is still under way.