One woman has died and three others have been injured by a gas explosion and subsequent fire at an apartment building in New Taipei’s Xindian District early Monday morning.

The deceased woman, who was in her 40s, was found alive but badly burned and in a state of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by firefighters after an emergency call was made at around 4 a.m.

She was then rushed to Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital but died after attempts to resuscitate her failed, the New Taipei Fire Department said.

The fire department added that the three injured individuals, who were hit by broken glass after the explosion shattered the windows of several neighboring apartments in the building, were all conscious and had been admitted to Cardinal Tien Hospital for treatment.

An investigation into the incident has been launched, the fire department said, adding that firefighters had discovered a leaking gas cylinder ablaze on the fourth-floor balcony while still tackling the fire.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel