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Drone footage shows the chaos of the gas blasts, as Cindy Sui reports
Taiwanese authorities say they are stepping up inspections of underground chemical pipelines after a series of explosions killed at least 26 people.
The underground blasts rocked the southern industrial city of Kaohsiung late on Thursday.
The search for two missing firemen is continuing, though there is little hope that they will be found alive.
Taiwanese authorities have rejected accusations that they were slow to respond to reports of leaking gas.
Kaohsiung's mayor, Chen Chu, said the explosions had "shocked residents tremendously".
"I instructed relevant units to thoroughly inspect the pipelines and call for the central government to review how to properly locate them so residents do not live under invisible threats and to prevent another tragedy", she said in a statement.
Almost 300 people were injured in the explosions, which left a trail of devastation in the centre of the city.
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Cindy Sui reports: ''The strength of the blast was so powerful that it tore up this entire street for about one kilometre''
Witnesses reported huge fireballs soaring into the air. Officials said there were at least five blasts.
"The local fire department received calls of gas leaks late Thursday and then there was a series of blasts around midnight affecting an area of two to three sq km [one sq mile]," the National Fire Agency said in a statement.
MourningThe city lies close to a huge petrochemical complex, with many pipelines running under the city.
The blasts are believed to have been caused by propylene gas leaking from the pipelines.
Taiwan's Premier Jiang Yi-huan announced three days of national mourning, to start on 5 August.
Flags will be flown at half-mast at government buildings and schools, to mourn both the Kaohsiung blast victims as well as the 48 people who died in a plane crash last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the search for two missing firemen is continuing, our correspondent Cindy Sui reports.
Sniffer dogs and sensor equipment are being used to search the rubble on one of the streets where the explosions took place.
Cindy Sui, BBC News, KaohsiungThe area where the explosions happened is just a short distance from the Kaohsiung City Hall, the popular Guanghua Night Market, the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store and at least one major hotel.
Eyewitnesses and local residents reported smelling a strong gas odour about three hours before the explosions occurred. Many of them were worried and went outside.
One person wrote online that he called Kaohsiung City's hotline for residents but was told that firefighters had arrived on the scene and to go back home.
As he expressed anger to the hotline operator, he saw a large explosion. Manhole covers were blown three stories high. Many people lay injured on the street.
Another resident who lived nearby said that he thought it was an earthquake at first and then he heard something like a bomb. The electricity was cut off. He immediately woke up his wife and children and they quickly left their home.
Taiwanese fearful after pipeline blasts
Are you in Kaohsiung? You can send us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Kaohsiung".
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