Death toll climbs to 24 in Taiwan gas explosions

The death toll in gas leak explosions that hit Kaohsiung City in Taiwan on Thursday has risen to 24, latest data from the island's firefighting authority showed.

Xi Jinping grieves over Taiwan gas leak explosions

As of 9 am Friday local time, 271 others were injured, according to the data.

The number of casualties could continue to rise as the explosions caused a road surface to collapse and people might have fallen into the hollows.

The island's firefighting authority said gas leaks were reported in the city's Cianjhen District at around 8:46 pm Thursday, leading to multiple explosions that affected an area as large as three square kilometers.