One person has died and more than 400 others are still in hospital, many with serious burns, following Saturday night’s tragic explosion at an outdoor party in New Taipei City.
The incident occurred at the Formosa Fun Coast water park, where a crowd of young people had gathered for a party called Color Play Asia. Witnesses say that colored powder made from corn starch caught fire in mid-air, triggering a giant fireball which injured the crowds below.
New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu spoke on Monday after a meeting of the ad hoc team that’s dealing with the aftermath of the disaster. He said that right now the priority is providing the victims with medical care. He said the city would help allocate medical resources, and help with transferring patients to other hospitals.
Chu said that the committee has begun case files for 498 victims, and is arranging social workers and medical professionals to offer assistance.
“Of course this is to deal with the needs of the victims and their families, so we set up a case file for each individual, which will be handled by a bureau director on behalf of the city," said Chu.
"We will work with social workers and medical teams to provide for the needs of each victim, and act as their primary support, providing them with rehabilitation and follow-up care on a case-by-case basis,” he said.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo also visited the health ministry on Monday to learn more about medical resources and the contingency plans for dealing with the tragedy.
Meanwhile, New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi said that the city would work with the Consumers’ Foundation to fight for compensation for the victims.
As for the cause of the blast, Hou said that an initial investigation by police, firefighters and prosecutors has pointed to carbon dioxide cylinders. Those cylinders, located to the west of the stage, were used to spray the crowd with colored powder. The fire was sparked when that setup came in contact with a heat source. Investigators are still looking into whether the heat source was related to cigarettes, hot stage lighting, or other flammable elements.