高雄市政府提請法院凍結李長榮化工資產
The southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has asked a court to freeze LCY Chemical Corp.'s assets, while investigating the petrochemical producer's role in the island's deadliest gas explosion.
臺灣高雄市政府提請法院凍結李長榮化學工業股份有限公司(LCY Chemical Co., 簡稱：李長榮化工)的資產。當局正在調查李長榮化工在一場氣體爆炸事故中的責任，這是臺灣傷亡最慘重的一起可燃氣體爆炸事故。At least 30 people were killed and 309 injured in the gas explosions that shook the city shortly before midnight on July 31. A series of blasts rocked the bustling Cianjhen District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city by population and a major petrochemical hub.
事故發生在7月31日臨近午夜時分，繁華的高雄市前鎮區發生多次爆炸，震動了整座城市，導致至少30人喪生，309人受傷。高雄是臺灣人口數量排名第二的城市，也是臺灣重要的石化產業中心。
According to the city's preliminary investigations, LCY owns the faulty pipe that caused the explosions, which destroyed homes, ripped off manhole covers and tore open several roads.
據高雄市初步調查，導致爆炸的破損管道系李長榮化工所有。爆炸造成沿街房屋受損，井蓋被炸飛，多條道路塌陷碎裂。
At a news conference on Wednesday, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu said the city is seeking to prevent LCY from transferring its assets, should the company be found guilty and liable for compensating the victims. Prosecutors are still investigating the cause of the blast and a final conclusion is awaited.
高雄市長陳菊在週三的新聞發佈會上稱，如果認定李長榮化工有罪並負有賠償責任，高雄市政府將提請法院阻止李長榮化工轉移資產。檢方仍在調查爆炸原因，尚未作出最終結論。The company was the only chemical operator transferring propene--the only type of gas detected at the explosion sites--underground in Kaohsiung that night, the city government said.
高雄市政府稱，李長榮化工是爆炸當晚唯一通過高雄市地下管道輸送丙烯的化工運營商。爆炸現場只檢測到丙烯這一種氣體。'We have ruled out the possibility the explosion was caused by another type or a mixture of gas. We also have no evidence that shows the pipe was previously damaged during construction work,' the city government's spokesman, Ting Yun-Kung, said.
高雄市政府發言人丁允恭表示，已排除另一種氣體或混合氣體導致爆炸的可能性，目前沒有證據表明這條管道曾在施工中受損。This isn't the first time that the 49-year-old company has been named in a major environmental disaster. In 1986, LCY's plant in Hsinchu City in central Taiwan was forced to shut down after residents complained the factory was emitting hazardous chemicals into the local water supply.
對於有49年曆史的李長榮化工來說，這並不是其第一次捲入重大環境污染事件。1986年，李長榮化工在臺灣新竹市的工廠被當地居民舉報向供水系統排放有害化學物質，該廠被迫關閉。The company said it hasn't received the court's official notice on the city's request to freeze its assets, which totaled 57.7 billion New Taiwan dollars (US$1.92 billion) by the end of the first quarter. The company said in a separate statement late Wednesday that it will set aside 500 million New Taiwan dollars (US$16.6 million) to meet potential claims from victims, but didn't elaborate.
李長榮化工稱，尚未接到法院就高雄市請求凍結公司資產發出的正式通知。截至第一季度末，該公司資產總額達新臺幣577億元（約合19.2億美元）。李長榮化工週三晚間另外發表聲明稱，將劃撥新臺幣5億元（約合1,660萬美元）用於損害賠償，但沒有透露詳情。Despite the weeklong, round-the-clock cleanup efforts, many streets are still littered with debris and thousands of homes remain without water and electricity. The underground pipeline network in the area has been suspended since the explosions. Nearly 200 people are still taking refuge at government shelters, data shows.
雖然清理工作已經不間斷地持續了一週，許多街道仍佈滿了殘磚斷瓦，數以千計的家庭仍斷水斷電。發生爆炸以來，這一地區的地下管道網絡已經停用。數據顯示，有將近200人仍留在政府提供的臨時住所。Fingers are also being pointed at the city and the central governments for possible regulatory oversight for failing to make sure the companies are performing routine maintenance of pipes.
輿論矛頭還指向高雄市和臺灣中央政府，人們懷疑監管部門督責不力，未能確保企業對管道的例行維護。According to Kaohsiung's initial estimate, it will cost at least 1.9 billion New Taiwan dollars to fix the roads and at least another 10 billion New Taiwan dollars in victim compensation.
據高雄市初步估計，修復道路將至少耗資新臺幣19億元，另外還需要至少新臺幣100億元用於賠償受害者。Public reaction to the explosion has been overwhelming. Various social sites are teemed with sympathy for the victims and their families. Donations from the business community and individuals have reached over 800 million New Taiwan Dollars so far.
公衆對這起爆炸反應強烈。各種社交網站充滿了對受害者及其家屬的同情。截至目前，來自商業協會和個人的捐款已超過新臺幣8億元。
