Three Vietnamese workers injured in Taiwan factory explosion

The Pingtung Country Fire Bureau said the explosion occurred in a factory run by Xiang Ming International in the Pingnan Industrial Park in Fangliau Town, Pingtung, the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News reported.

Initial investigations show that welding sparks ignited some inflammable packages nearby, which burned a pipe of acetylene and caused the explosion.

Three Taiwanese men were also injured in the explosion. All six injured were rushed to hospital.

Taiwan has become a sought after destination for Vietnamese seeking jobs overseas ever since it lifted a 10-year ban on certain categories of Vietnamese workers in 2015.

Last year, 65,000 Vietnamese workers were sent to Taiwan, accounting for nearly half of Vietnam's overseas workforce.