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2015 New Taipei water park fire

Coordinates: 25°08′41″N 121°23′20″E / 25.14472°N 121.38889°E / 25.14472; 121.38889
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Taiwan Water Park Fire
A video screenshot of the fire, viewed from onstage
Native name 八仙樂園彩色派對火災
Date27 June 2015 (2015-06-27)
Time20:32 (UTC+8)
VenueA drained swimming pool at Formosa Fun Coast
LocationBali, New Taipei City, Taiwan
TypeDust fire
Deaths17 (including two people who later died by suicide related to the case) [1]
Non-fatal injuries497[2]

On 27 June 2015, a dust fire occurred at Formosa Fun Coast, a water park in Bali, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Staff of an outdoor "color powder party" sprayed clouds of corn starch towards the participants, which ignited. The fire lasted 40 seconds and burned 508 people, killing 15 and leaving 199 in critical condition.[2][3][4][5][1][6]

Initially, only patches of airborne corn starch caught fire and extinguished almost instantly, but the staff sprayed carbon-dioxide fire extinguishers towards the participants, which, compounded by the running of the participants, dispersed the airborne corn starch into multiple dust clouds, responsible for most of the burning.

Background

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The "Color Play Asia" party was inspired by the colored powder used in the Hindu religious festival "Holi", also called "festival of colors", which is celebrated in India, Nepal, and other countries with large Hindu populations. In August 2013, the first Taiwanese color party took place in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung City. It was organized by the same event company that organized "Color Play Asia".[7]

That same year, a National Tsing Hua University expert warned that the colored powder used during the Color Play Asia parties might cause a dust explosion if the material was combustible.[8]

Event

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2015 New Taipei water park fire is located in Taiwan
2015 New Taipei water park fire
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Formosa Fun Coast, located in New Taipei City

On 27 June 2015, the "Color Play Asia" party was held at the Formosa Fun Coast water park. Party-goers were singing and dancing on the stage, which holds up to 1,000.[9][10] Other party-goers danced in a drained swimming pool nearby.[11]

The concert organizers deployed colored corn starch powder in the festivities. The method of powder application at the concert created "an extremely dense dust cloud over the stage and its immediate vicinity",[12] people near the stage were standing "almost ankle-deep" in colored corn starch powder, and the powder was repeatedly suspended into the air using air blowers as well as compressed gas canisters.[11][13]

At about 20:30, a large deflagration occurred when a cloud of colored powder caught fire after being fired from the stage onto a crowd of 1,000 people during a concert.[10][14] Some of the crowd breathed in the powder, causing respiratory problems.[10] As recorded in an amateur video by an audience member, a massive fireball suddenly engulfed the stage.[15][16] The powder caught fire along the ground, resulting in burns mainly to victims' limbs and torsos.[3][17] According to the authorities, the fire was quickly extinguished.[18] The rescue included help from army vehicles and soldiers, along with medical services.[17] Many people were taken to hospitals via taxis due to the lack of ambulances in the area.

Injuries and fatalities

[edit]
Origin Number of
injuries[2]		 Number of
deaths
Taiwan 478 15
Hong Kong 6
China 2
Japan 2
Malaysia 2
Macau 1
Singapore 1
South Africa 1
United Kingdom 1
United States 1
Total 496 15

The injured were treated in over 50 hospitals across Taiwan. As of 29 November 2015,[19] 15 of the 497 injured had died, 44 victims remained hospitalized, and 11 were being treated at intensive care wards, while fifty-seven others were discharged from hospitals after treatment.[20][21][22][23] Most of the injured were tertiary students in their twenties and late teens who had just started their summer vacation.[24] An earlier estimate of 519 injured was due to double-counting of patients that were transferred between hospitals.[25]

Many victims were lightly clad because of hot weather (36.6 °C (97.9 °F))[3][10] and the water park venue, and suffered burns over large portions of their bodies.[26] Some victims suffered burns to 80–90% of their skin.[3][17]

Four foreigners injured in the event were flown home via International SOS flights for follow-up medical treatment on 29 June: two to Hong Kong (Queen Mary Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital), one to Shanghai (Ruijin Hospital) and one to Singapore (Singapore General Hospital).[27]

Two suicides were linked to the event: a father of a surviving burn victim committed suicide by hanging,[28] while another man wanted to donate his skin to the victims after committing suicide by hanging.[29]

Response

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New Taipei City's mayor Eric Chu ordered an immediate shutdown of the water park pending an investigation.[10] The man responsible for the event was detained by police for investigation.[30] On 28 June, Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-kuo banned the use of colored powders at private events until the investigation is concluded and the powder can be considered safe.[17]

The event's organizer and hardware engineer were questioned and then given bail on the condition that they not leave the country.[31] Lu Chung-chi apologized for the explosion on 28 June.[32] On 28 June a spokesman for (mainland) China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Ma Xiaoguang, expressed sympathy for the victims and hoped they all received timely and appropriate treatment.[33]

On 30 June Taiwan's Organ Registry and Sharing Center called for urgent donations of cadaver skin, since there were just 115 rolls left in the country's cadaver skin stocks. According to Chairman Lee Po-chang (李伯璋; Lǐ Bózhāng), cadaver skin is more effective in blocking burn wounds from contamination sources and promoting skin regeneration than hog skin or synthetic skin.[34]

According to officials, the Ministry of Health and Welfare collaborated with the New Taipei City Public Health Department and made an announcement that all medical expenses of the burn patients from 27 June to 30 September will be covered by the National Health Insurance Administration and the National Health Insurance Program.[35]

On 2 July, a spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office said it was ready to provide medical assistance to help treat the hundreds of people injured in the explosion.[36] On 3 July, Taiwanese Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang Been-huang said he was grateful for China's offer to provide medical assistance, including donations of cadaver skin to Taiwan, but it should be first confirmed that the skin was not from executed prisoners.[37]

Cadaver skin from the United States and Netherlands was sent to Taiwan.[38]

Investigation

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Investigators raised the question of whether the powder was ignited by a cigarette or spark; the supplier of the flammable, starch-based powder said "if it's in dense quantities and if it's hot, it can catch fire". Organizers had purchased three tons of the powder,[11] and wrote on their Facebook page that it consisted of cornstarch and food coloring. The powder was sprayed from the stage onto concert-goers "at high velocity".[24] The vice president of Tai Won Food Industrial Co, which makes the powder, says that there are warnings on the packages not to use them in closed spaces or under high temperatures.[23] The New Taipei City news department head stated: "It's still not clear what happened, but there were a number of people smoking and the weather was warm."[3]

The Fire Department's preliminary conclusion was that the fire was caused by the sprayed powder, and that stage lights may have been the source of ignition.[10]

WuFeng University fire science department instructor and Taichung Harbor Fire Department deputy captain Lu Shou-chien commented in a letter to the Chinese-language United Daily News that the event organizers had set up necessary conditions for a disaster, and had not used water sprays which would have reduced the risk of ignition.[11] Smoking was permitted at the event, and approximately 40 cigarette butts were found afterwards.[11]

In October 2015, the committee set up by the New Taipei City government to oversee monetary donations related to the explosion announced plans to distribute the collected funds. Survivors were to receive between NT$65,000 and NT$6.5 million, depending on the severity of injuries sustained in the dust explosion. The families of the twelve people who had died were compensated NT$8.25 million.[39][40]

On 16 October 2015, Shilin District prosecutors charged the event organizer, Lu Chung-chi, with negligence during the disaster; owners of the park were not indicted.[41] Lu was found guilty of the charges in April 2016.[42] In 2018, Lu was sentenced to five years in prison.[43] In June 2016, the Supreme Court authorized the seizure of NT$507 million in assets from the park's senior administration.[44] The National Health Insurance Administration also sought compensation worth NT$436 million from event organizers in court, claiming that the medical cost incurred by the NHIA totaled NT$765 million.[45]

Aftermath

[edit]

After the accident, the government has adopted several emergency-related measures, such as the easing of the requirements for National Health Insurance coverage for burn victims, and importing large amounts of artificial and cadaver skin.[46]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Color Play Asia fire claims another life, after five months". Taipei Times. 30 November 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "八仙樂園粉塵爆炸 外交部證實：8名外籍人士受傷". Liberty Times Net. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e Jennings, Ralph (29 June 2015). "Investigators focus on causes of weekend fire at Taiwan theme park that burned 500". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. ^ "Number of injured rises to 516 in water park explosion". Focus Taiwan. No. 28 June 2015. Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  5. ^ Wu, J. R.; Chuang, Pichi (28 June 2015). "Taiwan probes water park fire as tally of injured put at 498". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  6. ^ Chen, Claire; Wu, Jeffrey (29 November 2015). "Months after water park fire, 15th burn victim dies". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  7. ^ Chen Yijia (28 June 2014). "八仙彩色派對 8千人瘋玩粉". China Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  8. ^ "彩色路跑灑粉霧 專家:遇火源恐爆炸". PTS News. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  9. ^ Jennings, Ralph (27 June 2015). "More than 500 injured as fire hits Taiwan water park party". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
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  23. ^ a b Mullen, Jethro; Novak, Kathy; Kwon, K.J. (29 June 2015). "'All her skin was gone': Horrific aftermath of fireball at Taiwan water park". CNN. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  24. ^ a b Forsythe, Michael (29 June 2015). "Hundreds Treated for Burns After Fire at Taiwan Water Park". New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
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  28. ^ "Father of recovering burn victim commits suicide". taipeitimes.com. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  29. ^ "Suicidal man becomes first skin donor for burn patients in Taiwan｜WCT". wantchinatimes.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
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  33. ^ "Injuries revised down to 498 in Taiwan water park blaze". Xinhua News Agency. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  34. ^ "Citing need for skin, organ center calls for donations". Focus Taiwan. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  35. ^ Sun, Hsin-hsuan (1 July 2015). "Donated skin needed for water park burn victims". The China Post. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
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  38. ^ "Water Park Inferno: Life-saving skin arrives from the US". Taipei Times. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  39. ^ Wang, Hung-kuo; Chen, Christie (6 October 2015). "Water park victims to receive donations based on severity of injuries". Central News Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  40. ^ "Water park inferno victims to get at least NT$65,000". Taipei Times. 8 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  41. ^ Strong, Matthew (16 October 2015). "Water park survivors slam prosecutors". Taiwan News. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  42. ^ Pan, Jason (27 April 2016). "'Color Play Asia' organizer found guilty". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  43. ^ "Water park party organizer gets 5 years in jail for blast | Full Index Search | FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS". focustaiwan.tw. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  44. ^ Pan, Jason (24 June 2016). "Court approves seizure of Formosa Fun Coast assets". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  45. ^ "Recovery continues for victims of Color Play Asia disaster". Taipei Times. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  46. ^ "Taiwan's achievements in treating burn victims win praise in Europe – Society – FOCUS TAIWAN – CNA ENGLISH NEWS". 4 June 2016.
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25°08′41″N 121°23′20″E / 25.14472°N 121.38889°E / 25.14472; 121.38889

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