Four people were killed and eight others were hospitalized in a gas explosion at a department store in Taiwan on Thursday, fire officials said.

The explosion occurred in a food court on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung City, the Taichung Fire Department said.

Two people were from Macau and a third was seriously injured, the Macau Tourism Office confirmed on Thursday. They were part of a family of seven who were there for tourism, local media reported.

Dozens of firefighters were deployed to the scene at around 11:30 a.m. The exterior of the building was damaged and debris was scattered on the streets.

Taichung Mayor Lu Shio-yen told reporters at the scene that the tremor was felt in her nearby office. The fire department was initially focused on a rescue operation, but an investigation was also underway and officials were checking for other sources of danger, she said.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-tei said he had asked all relevant government agencies to investigate the cause of the accident.