Fifteen people are reported dead and 30 others injured at a factory in central Vietnam after a scaffold collapsed. The collapse happened Wednesday night at a steel complex that has received investment from Taiwan-based conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group. All of the victims are reportedly Vietnamese nationals.
According to Vietnamese online news website vnexpress.net, the 30-40 meter high scaffold was set up the day before and collapsed at 8:00pm local time on Wednesday. Vietnamese authorities dispatched police and military personnel to conduct rescue work. Rescue operations are still underway, as around 100 other workers reportedly remained trapped under the collapsed scaffolding.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao said on Thursday that Taiwan’s representative office in Vietnam has been communicating with local authorities. The representative office is standing by to provide any necessary assistance.
Meanwhile in Taipei, Formosa Plastics Group said it is holding a meeting to discuss how to deal with the incident and will provide details to the press at a later time.