Gas explosion at Kenting Caesar Park Hotel in Pingtung injures 3, who are hospitalized

▲ Gas explosion accident at Kenting Caesar Park Hotel on the afternoon of the 8th (Photo / Provided by Kenting Caesar Park Hotel)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

A gas explosion incident occurred at the Kenting Caesar Park Hotel in Pingtung on the afternoon of the 8th. The hotel was conducting routine testing of an underground gas tank when a suspected explosion caused by excessively high temperatures and poor ventilation in the underground space led to an accident. Three outsourced workers suffered burns, and one sustained minor injuries. The three injured workers have been hospitalized, and guests staying at the hotel were not affected.

Shih Li-wen, public relations manager of Caesar Park Hotels, stated that the accident occurred in a “non-operational area,” which is an independent space legally set up separately from the “main building” of the hotel. The guest activity areas are completely safe, with no impact on the main structure of the hotel, and all company employees and guests are unharmed.

At 2 p.m., the hotel commissioned a contractor to perform regular maintenance on high-pressure gas equipment, but unexpectedly, a gas explosion occurred. Hotel staff said the storage tank is located in the basement outside the hotel, with no buildings above it. Aside from the storage tank, the basement is also used as a storage room.

Hotel staff said that no loud explosion was heard inside the hotel at the time of the blast. Smoke was seen coming out from the basement, and only the smell of smoke was noticed, with no obvious gas odor. The smoke also dissipated quickly, and the gas tanks did not explode.

Among the four workers at the scene, 40-year-old Chen Wen-jen suffered 93% burns over his body but is conscious; 28-year-old Chen Chih-ming sustained 30% burns on his chest and back; the person in charge of the contractor company, Lee Fang-tsuen, suffered 20% burns on his hands and feet; another worker sustained minor injuries and was not hospitalized. (News source: Central News Agency)