President Tsai Ing-wen and other top officials visited the scene on Saturday to express condolences to the victims’ families and vowed to investigate the cause of the fire.
Launch Technologies, the operator of the plant, is a major global supplier of golf balls.
According to its 2021 annual report, Taiwan is a major manufacturer of golf balls with factories supplying major brands including Callaway, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Mizuno and Wilson.
Launch Technologies, which is listed on the Taipei Exchange, shipped about 260 million golf balls last year, accounting for one-fifth of the global total, the Central News Agency said. About 80 per cent of its sales are in the United States.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor said on Saturday it would open an occupational safety investigation into Launch Technologies and its parent company.
The factory, which is in an export processing zone, has been fined in the past for violations found during inspections.Â
Source: CNA
