At least 22 dead, 270 hurt in Taiwan gas explosions
By Shelby Lin Erdman, CNN
August 1, 2014 -- Updated 0048 GMT (0848 HKT)
(CNN) -- The death toll is rising in Taiwan in a series of explosions triggered by underground gas leaks in the southern city of Kaohsiung, according to state-run news agency CNA.
At least 22 people were killed and another 270 injured when the powerful blasts ripped through the city's sewage system early Friday.
Firefighters from neighboring cities rushed to Kaohsiung to help battle the flames, CNA reported
The government also called up hundreds of soldiers to assist rescue efforts.
A series of gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 22 people and injured about 270, officials say.
The exact cause of the gas leaks is not clear, but reports say the blasts were caused by ruptured pipelines.
Images from the scene show major fires, cars overturned and significant damage to roads and buildings.
Dozens of those injured by the blasts were taken to hospitals for treatment, Taiwan's fire agency said.
"The local fire department received calls of gas leaks late Thursday and then there was a series of blasts around midnight affecting an area of two to three sq km [one sq mile]," the National Fire Agency added in a statement.
'A huge cave'
"I saw lots of cars and motorcycles with engines all over on the road, and doctors checking if bodies were dead or alive, "eyewitness Chen Guan-yuan, who was at the scene shortly after the blast, told the BBC.
"Because the explosion range is so far so it's really difficult to handle this situation immediately," Mr Chen said, adding that the blasts "caused a long range hole, like a huge cave".
Four firefighters are said to be among the dead.
People in the nearby area have been evacuated to schools, local officials say.
Despite firefighting efforts, fires were still out of control in two streets at 05:00 local time (21:00 GMT), five hours after the blasts, local media reported.
Firefighters are still trying to see if people are trapped under the rubble of the explosion, the BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei reports.
The cause of the blast has not yet been identified but several petrochemical companies have pipelines running along the sewage system in the district, our correspondent adds.
The multiple explosions were sparked by gas leaks in the sewage system of Kaohsiung's Cianjhen District, Premier Jiang Yi-huah said, according to Taiwanese news agency CNA.
Hundreds of soldiers, and firefighters from neighbouring Tainan City and Pingtung County, had been deployed to assist rescue efforts, Mr Jiang added.