TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A fire at a hospital in southern Taiwan killed at least eight people on Thursday morning as the island was being battered by a typhoon.
The fire occurred in Piingtung county, which has been hit hard by , which made landfall in the afternoon with torrential rains and heavy winds and has brought parts of the island to a standstill.
The deaths were attributed to smoke that arose from a source still under investigation. Dozens of other patients were evacuated and moved to shelters nearby.
Soldiers from a nearby base were mobilized to aid medical workers and firefighters in the evacuation of patients and putting out the flames.
The Associated Press
