Four people were killed and nine others injured after a pileup on Yangde Boulevard in suburban Taipei on Wednesday, according to local police.

The accident occurred at around 8:16 a.m. when a cement truck failed to stop as it approached an intersection on the boulevard.

A total of nine fire engines and 12 ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

Three men and one woman died. Five houses, 13 cars and nine motorcycles were damaged due to the accident, local authorities said.

The truck’s driver said his vehicle’s brakes failed. Further investigation is underway.

Chris
Williamson MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, commenting on
the Home Office’s statement on adding fire and rescue inspections to HMIC’s
responsibilities, said:

“After
an unclear Home Office statement, Ministers must tell the public exactly what
extra resources, staff and expertise will actually be provided.

“If
today’s statement is really a cloak for cuts to existing fire and rescue
inspectors, and over-stretching the inspectors of the police services, it will
be strongly opposed. The police and the fire service both need expert and
thorough inspection, and the public will be right to demand that they have it.
Labour will oppose any cuts to the inspection regimes under the guise of
efficiency and savings.”

John
Healey MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, responding to the release of new
information on fire safety tests of tower blocks, said:

“Five
weeks on from the Grenfell Tower fire, the Government’s system of fire safety
checks on tower blocks is not fit for purpose.

“The
latest statement from Ministers, smuggled out yesterday evening as the Commons
finished for the day, confirms that there are still 52 tower blocks with the
same type of cladding as Grenfell Tower that have not been tested. Even worse,
it confirms there are still thousands of other tower blocks around the country
which may not be safe but which Government tests have ignored.

“These
fire safety tests are vital to reassure residents that their homes are safe,
but the testing process to date has failed to do this. The tests are too slow,
too narrow and confused. Residents are still worried and landlords are in the
dark. Secretary of State Sajid Javid must report fully to Parliament tomorrow
before the summer recess and explain how he is going to get a grip of this
mess.”

Kate
Osamor MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, commenting on the
release of the National Audit Office report into aid spending, said: 

“We
should be proud that British aid is transforming millions of lives and working
to make the world more peaceful and secure. This watchdog report shows
that DFID has become a world leader in preventing fraud and managing aid
effectively and transparently. But under this divided Conservative government,
Ministers are fighting each other for control of the aid budget.

“This report highlights
how the ever-increasing proportion
of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) now being spent by
other government departments isn’t subject to the proper scrutiny or effective
management that we know the Department for International Development
(DFID) brings. The Conservative government needs to quickly make sure all
aid spending by all departments meets key transparency criteria and is
subject to scrutiny by Parliament’s International Development Committee." 

"Only a
Labour government will fully protect the independence of DFID and its
world-class expertise and leadership. We will keep to our commitment of
spending 0.7% of national income, and

ensure that
we spend that we do so responsibly and
effectively.”