On Sunday, search teams in southern Taiwan made a grim discovery as they found the bodies of the last three missing individuals, bringing the death toll to 10 in the tragic incident that occurred at a golf ball factory. According to reports from Taiwanese media, the factory operator, Launch Technologies, is a significant global supplier of golf balls.
Among the victims, four were brave firefighters. The catastrophe unfolded when an explosion rocked the factory, causing a portion of the building to collapse around 6:10 pm on Friday. This tragic event trapped both firefighters and workers beneath the rubble, with a second explosion following 20 minutes later. The search for survivors was a painstaking effort, with two bodies discovered on Sunday morning and the final one recovered in the afternoon.
The fire, which occurred at Pingtung Technology Industrial Park, left about 100 people injured, and it raged on until the next day. The exact cause of the fire remained unclear. It’s worth noting that Taiwan plays a significant role in golf ball manufacturing, with factories supplying renowned brands such as Callaway, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Mizuno, and Wilson, as stated in Launch Technologies Co.’s 2021 annual report.
Launch Technologies, a company listed on the Taipei Exchange, shipped approximately 260 million golf balls the previous year, making up one-fifth of the global total, according to the Central News Agency. A substantial portion of its sales, around 80%, goes to the United States.