Five injured and two missing in fire at Panasonic site

Five people were injured and two were missing in a fire yesterday at a Panasonic Holdings Corp production site in Hsinchu County, the county’s fire bureau said.

The fire broke out at 2am at Panasonic’s five-story factory on Guangfu Road in Hukou Township (湖口) caught fire, the Hsinchu County Fire Bureau said, adding that the building had a steel frame and sheet-metal walls.

The five injured men — three Taiwanese and two Vietnamese — were conscious and were taken to a hospital, the bureau said.

Smoke rises from the Panasonic factory in Hsinchu County yesterday.

Photo: Liao Hsueh-ru, Taipei Times

A 49-year-old surnamed Hu (胡) reported pain in his right chest and had burns on his left forearm. A 35-year-old Vietnamese man surnamed Nguyen sustained facial burns, a head laceration and a fracture on his right foot.

A 35-year-old man surnamed Hsieh (謝) and a 30-year-old Vietnamese man surnamed Nguyen had difficulties breathing and chest pain. A 29-year-old surnamed Lee (李) sustained facial abrasions.

Rescue workers were still searching for the two missing Taiwanese employees, the bureau said.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are still being investigated, it added.

Panasonic Industrial Devices Materials Taiwan Co, conducts research and development, and manufactures printed circuit boards and semiconductor packaging materials, local media reported.