Japanese factory burns in Vietnam

Japanese factory burns in Vietnam

HANOI (AFP): A blaze broke out in a Japanese factory in the Taiwan-built Tan Thuan export processing zone outside Ho Chi Minh City, an official from Tan Thuan said yesterday.

More than 300 firefighters in 33 fire engines were mobilized when the blaze was sparked at Nihon Matai Container Bag Corp, a 100 percent Japanese-owned 8.5-million-dollar factory last Sunday afternoon.

The fire which raged for more than three hours caused extensive damage estimated at US$1.5 million, according to a report by the official Vietnam News Agency.

One fireman was injured. The cause was being investigated, a representative at Nihon said, adding production had been halted. Tan Thuan is a joint venture between the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Central Trading and Development Corp, the direct investment arm of the Kuomintang party in Taiwan.