Formosa thermal power plant explosion kills worker

Three workers were conducting maintenance work on gas pipelines at Formosa’s thermal power plant in Ha Tinh province when an explosion occurred, killing one and severely injuring the other two.

A representative of the Taiwanese-invested firm, located in the central Vietnamese province's Vung Ang Economic Zone, Ky Anh town, confirmed the incident happened at noon Saturday, local media reported.

Chairman of the Ha Tinh People’s Committee, Vo Trong Hai, said he has directed the police to investigate the case.

The Ky Anh Town General Hospital said they received three injured patients past 2 p.m. Saturday. One was dead on arrival.

“The other two people suffered burns to the chest and face. The patients’ health is stable, but discharge dates have not been determined,” a senior hospital official said Sunday.

The two surviving men are residents of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces.

The three workers worked for a subcontractor headquartered in Vung Ang Economic Zone, specializing in construction and maintenance of mechanical works.

Formosa is one of the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam. The group's investment includes an integrated steel mill, Son Duong Port, and a coal-fired power plant.

Previously, the collapse of a wall in Binh Dinh province's Nhon Hoa Industrial Park on September 15 had killed five people and injured six others due to mistakes in construction and whirlwinds. The wall is part of construction of a shrimp-processing factory, invested by a Taiwanese firm.

On July 18, four workers of Miwon Vietnam Co. Ltd., a South Korean MSG and fish sauce maker, suffocated to death in the northern province of Phu Tho when cleaning a boiler.

on June 19, three workers died from burns following an accident at the Danish-backed ScanCom Vietnam factory, a producer of outdoor furniture, in Binh Duong province, southern Vietnam.