Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu has accepted the resignations of four city officials following the gas explosions that rocked the city on the night of July 31st.
One of the city’s deputy mayors and the officials in charge of public works, water resources, and the city’s metro system tendered their resignations following the explosions. A scandal has surrounded the city government since it was revealed that the metro system was aware of the pipelines that exploded while other government departments were not.
Speaking Friday, Mayor Chen Chu said that she has accepted the officials’ resignations. But she said that the resignations will only take effect once the critical work of disaster relief is complete.
The deputy mayor who tendered his resignation has also responded to speculation that the mayor had lower officials take the blame for the accident in order to protect herself. The deputy mayor said that he must take responsibility for the explosions if necessary. He urged the public not to lose focus on the goal of rebuilding.