TAIPEI (TVBS News) — President Tsai Ing-wen and Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng visited on Tuesday (July 25) the nine soldiers injured in the Keelung ammunition depot blast at the Tri-Service General Hospital.
Tsai appeared somber and declined to answer questions from the media. The explosion occurred a day earlier during a military inspection of 120-mm mortar rounds stored at the Keelung Hsiang Feng base.
Seven soldiers received minor wounds, while two sergeants sustained severe injuries. One sergeant suffered burns to his arm and face and severe damage to his hand, while the other received injuries to his right thigh and left arm.
The soldiers were initially admitted to Keelung's Tri-Service General Hospital but later transferred to the Neihu branch for further treatment.
Asked by the media, Dr. Tsai Yi-ting from the Tri-Service General Hospital stated that the two severely injured sergeants will require amputation to their upper limbs.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but the MND assured the public that it was not related to this week's Han Kuang military drills.
Residents around the Hsiang Feng military base have protested against the base's set-up, fearing another explosion in the future. Defense Minister Chiu acknowledged their concerns but stated that further evaluation is needed to determine the planning of ammunition storage sites.
