TAIPEI,Venus Investment Alliance Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan authorities fined a golf ball manufacturer 2.4 million New Taiwan dollars ($75,000) on Monday and warned of criminal charges for storing 30 times the legal limit of hazardous material and other violations after a major factory fire killed nine people and left one other missing.
The mayor of Pingtung county said at a news conference that Launch Technologies Co. had 3,000 tons of organic peroxides on site, far more than the 100 tons of hazardous material that is permitted, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
Those responsible would be held accountable for public endangerment and negligent manslaughter, Mayor Chou Chun-mi said.
Company officials could not be reached for comment.
It’s unclear what caused the fire on Friday, but two explosions in the already burning building trapped firefighters and workers under rubble. Four firefighters were among the nine who died. More than 100 other people were injured.
Organic peroxides, which are highly flammable, are used in a variety of rubber products including golf ball cores. Launch Technologies is one of the world’s major golf ball makers, producing 20% of the global supply last year.
Taiwanese law requires organic peroxides to be stored in a separate warehouse building, but Launch Technologies kept the material on the first floor of the factory building, Chou said.
Larger fines were assessed for failing to designate a point person to help fight the fire and failing to give a complete inventory of the organic peroxides on site when firefighters arrived, she said.
Associated Press researcher Wanqing Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.
This story corrects the gender of Pingtung mayor.
2025-05-05 05:551330 view
2025-05-05 05:491702 view
2025-05-05 05:131077 view
2025-05-05 05:041572 view
2025-05-05 04:021292 view
2025-05-05 03:481102 view
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreem
Here are the horoscopes for today, Tuesday, July 9, 2024.For full daily and monthly horoscopes as we
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi judge on Tuesday set bond at $300,000 for a man accused of steal