516 injured in Taiwan water park fire
AFP, Taipei :
The number of people injured in a fire at a Taiwan water amusement park rose to 516 today, government officials said, with more than 180 still in intensive care.
Media reported four mainland Chinese and two foreigners were among those injured after Saturday’s fire, during a party where up to 1,000 revellers were sprayed with coloured powder as they danced to music, seeking to escape the summer heat.
The blaze, which broke out around 8.30 pm at the Formosa Fun Coast water park on the outskirts of the capital, Taipei, is suspected to have been caused by an explosion of the powder, local government official Lin Chieh-yu told Reuters.
“It remains under investigation as to what made the powder explode,” he added, however.
Authorities have banned the use of the powder until the investigation is completed.
“The next few days will be a critical time for the injured,” Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-kuo told reporters, adding that 410 people were still in hospital today, with 194 being treated for serious injuries.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, rescuers treated hundreds of people, most of them aged between 20 and 30, wearing wet swimsuits and lying on inflatable plastic doughnuts.
The number of people injured in a fire at a Taiwan water amusement park rose to 516 today, government officials said, with more than 180 still in intensive care.
Media reported four mainland Chinese and two foreigners were among those injured after Saturday’s fire, during a party where up to 1,000 revellers were sprayed with coloured powder as they danced to music, seeking to escape the summer heat.
The blaze, which broke out around 8.30 pm at the Formosa Fun Coast water park on the outskirts of the capital, Taipei, is suspected to have been caused by an explosion of the powder, local government official Lin Chieh-yu told Reuters.
“It remains under investigation as to what made the powder explode,” he added, however.
Authorities have banned the use of the powder until the investigation is completed.
“The next few days will be a critical time for the injured,” Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-kuo told reporters, adding that 410 people were still in hospital today, with 194 being treated for serious injuries.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, rescuers treated hundreds of people, most of them aged between 20 and 30, wearing wet swimsuits and lying on inflatable plastic doughnuts.
