Saturday's incident
at the Formosa Water Park is believed to have happened when a coloured(有色) powder ignited(點燃) after being discharged
onto(排放到) the crowd. Footage(鏡頭) showed people panicking(恐慌) and screaming. Inflatable
water toys(充氣水上玩具) were shown
being used as stretchers(擔架).
Some 190 people are seriously hurt - 182
are in intensive care. Some of them breathed in the powder, causing respiratory(呼吸) problems.
Local media said organizers(主辦方) of the Color Play Asia
event had been taken in for questioning(質疑) by prosecutors(檢察官).
Skin
'gone'
Footage of the
incident shows a party in full swing when suddenly fire erupts. It was
"hell", a male student who sustained(持續) minor injuries said, according to AFP(法新社) news agency.
"There was blood everywhere,
including in the pool where lots of the injured were soaking themselves for
relief from the pain." His girlfriend added: "I saw lots of people
whose skin was gone." The fire was quickly brought under control, but the
cause of the incident is still under investigation.
The authorities believe something that
caught fire caused the coloured powder spray or dust - used to create a party
atmosphere - to explode. The substance is also used in other countries. It is
made of dried corn(乾玉米) and can be
highly flammable(易燃的), our
correspondent(信函) says.
The 519 victims were sent to 41
hospitals, and 413 are still in hospital, say municipal authorities. The
incident occurred about 20:30 (12:30 GMT). More than 1,000 people were near the
stage at the time. The fire department said: "Our initial understanding is
this explosion and fire... was caused by the powder spray. It could have been
due to the heat of the lights on the stage".
Soaring
temperatures
Many people flocked
to water parks on Saturday as temperatures reached 36.6C (98F )
in Taipei and as high as 38C in other parts of Taiwan , says the BBC's Cindy Sui in Taipei
Taiwan has suffered a series of deadly
fires in the past couple of years due partly to poor enforcement(強制) of building and fire
safety codes and illegal construction, our correspondent adds.
A fire earlier this
year killed six firefighters, prompting(提示) orders to rectify(糾正) illegally constructed buildings and upgrade firefighters'
equipment and training.
It's very terrible and dangerous to explode in such public area. Taiwan Formosa Water Park should be more positive to deal with this emergency.
回覆刪除I think it is fine to have fun in the party, but they are wrong because of their careless. Some people scolded these people; others gave their power to hope they can get better soon. I hope they can walk out the injury and thank to those who care about them very much.
回覆刪除Although I think the victims in this accident were very poor, they should take the responsibility for themselves. Because they made the decision by themselves, no one forced them to take part in it. Day after day, more and more family members want the government to pay them the reparation. I think it is so ridiculous.
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