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More than 200 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park


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More than 200 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park

 

(CNN)At least 205 people were injured, 82 seriously, in an explosion Saturday evening at a recreational water park in New Taipei, Taiwan, the East Asian nation's official Central News Agency reported.

 

Flames erupted after suspected flammable powder exploded in the air over a stage around 8:30 p.m. (8:30 a.m. ET) at Formosa Fun Coast, firefighters said, according to the CNA report.

 

However, the exact cause has not been definitively determined, and police were questioning the head of the park.

 

Some people used large swimming tubes as stretchers to carry out the injured, CNA reported.

 

Calling it the "worst incident of mass injury (ever) in New Taipei," Taiwan's most populous city, Mayor Eric Chu called for ambulance support from neighboring Taipei, Taoyuan and Keelung. In addition, Taiwanese defense ministry spokesman Luo Shao-he said all military hospitals in northern Taiwan were prepared to take patients.

 

Here is the link to the story....http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/27/asia/taiwan-water-park-explosion/index.html?sr=fb062715taiwanwaterparkexplosion1pStoryLink

Edited by larrygator
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Oh no. My thoughts are with those injured and the families of those injured. Hopefully the will all have a speedy recovery. It will be interesting to find out what caused this.

 

On a separate note... WTF is a "swimming ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings?"

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^ Just saw the video. Not sure if it is suitable to post here. But it was awful. Hopefully those who were injured have a quick recovery.

 

Any time there is an accident like this it is awful news, but to me it is always even more heartbreaking when the people were out just trying to have a good time, and enjoy themselves, then something like this happens. It's not like they were out doing something dumb, or dangerous, yet they still get hurt.

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Yikes. Hopefully everyone's okay.

 

On a separate note... WTF is a "swimming ringy dingy ding-a-ling dings?"

TPR word filter. Others include fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo (l_ocker) and YOLOcoaster (YOLOcoaster)

OH! Wow. I knew of the other word filters. I just had no idea about this one. Thanks for filling me in!
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Burning Down the House

 

Right? People on fire, real hoolarious!

 

Certainly hope everyone is ok - that video was chilling. Don't know if we'll get the full scoop on who didn't think this through all the way, but I hope they face some sort of punishment and that everyone impacted heals up quickly.

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Wow, I'm feeling really sorry for all those people. I have heard burns are one of the most painful injuries. I can't even imagine how horrible that must have been, especially on a day where everyone was having fun and then... I know particulates like that can be very flammable, and I have seen several videos of the crazy holi day colored powders thrown all over each other, but I never connected the two before now.

 

I hope everyone recovers fully and quickly.

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Corn Starch is what fire breathers use. It's used commonly in theatrical settings to create the fireball effect.

 

It's not very combustable when in a large pile, but when you spread it out over the air into fine particles, combined with a heat source in a confined space...it goes KABOOM!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion

Edited by Jew
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Upadate:

 

Injuries up to 498 people, and one person has died.

 

However, they think they know what caused the fire now.

 

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Investigators in Taiwan were focusing Monday on the possibility that a cigarette butt or spark caused the blaze that burned 498 people, killing one, at a weekend water park party when colored powder sprayed from the stage caught fire.

 

Hundreds still in hospital after fire at Taiwan music party. Taiwan probes water park fire as tally of injured put at 498. More than 400 people remained hospitalized, including 202 in serious condition, city officials said. A 20-year-old woman with burns to 90 percent of her body died after being taken off life support with her family's consent, said a hospital spokeswoman, who spoke anonymously because she wasn't authorized to speak publicly.

 

Taiwan's Central News Agency said her 12-year-old brother also had burns on 90 percent of his body.

 

Police recommended criminal charges against the organizer of Saturday's party, as well as two technicians, at the Formosa Fun Coast park in suburban Taipei.

 

"It's still not clear what happened, but there were a number of people smoking and the weather was warm," New Taipei City news department head Lin Chieh-yu said. Temperatures around greater Taipei topped 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 F) before the party.

 

The three tons of colored starch-based powder bought by the organizers from Tai Won, a seller in the island's southern county of Yunlin, were flammable, said Chou Hui-fang, a representative of the seller. She said the buyer was informed about the risk of fire.

 

"Whether it's corn starch or flour starch, this kind of stuff, no matter how long it's been around, if it's in dense quantities and if it's hot, it can catch fire," Chou said. She said her 4-year-old company has been questioned by police and health officials but was not considered at fault.

 

"We didn't know what the buyers were going to do with it or how much they would use," she said. "It might have been supplies for a whole year."

 

Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-kuo banned use of the powder at future private events. Colored powder is often thrown on revelers during the annual Holi celebrations in India and Nepal, a Hindu festival. The powder at Saturday's party was made in Taiwan, Chou said.

 

The water park was ordered to close after the fire.

 

Taiwan police recommended charges of professional neglect and public endangerment for party organizer Lu Chung-chi, who was arrested but released on bail of 1 million Taiwan dollars (US$32,000) and restricted from leaving the island, a New Taipei City police spokesman said.

 

Police also recommended charges for the stage hardware technician and the person responsible for shooting off the powder. Each was given bail of 300,000 Taiwan dollars. Officers questioned two others involved in the event but did not recommend charges, said Yan Bo-jen, news liaison for the local police precinct.

 

Taiwan university student Liang Sheng-kai said flaming powder hit his legs, apparently catching fire after it was sprayed from a concert stage into the front row where he was standing.

 

With the park's water features several hundred meters (yards) away, too far to douse the fire or ease burns, people screamed and panicked to find exits as balls of fire surged from the ground, he said. He said the right and left sides of the stage were blocked.

 

"It was very messy and a lot of people fell over or got knocked down," said Liang, 20, who is being treated for his burns in a Taipei hospital.

 

Five victims were from Hong Kong, two from mainland China and one each from Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Authorities were still checking on the nationalities of three other foreigners. More than 200 were students, Central News Agency said.

 

Hong Kong is reviewing venues and other factors before it gives licenses to two local events similar to the water park party, Secretary Ko Wing-man said.

 

A total of 498 people were injured by the fire, according to the latest statement from the city government's health department. It said 202 were badly injured, 236 lightly or moderately injured, and 60 others were unclassified.

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Corn Starch is what fire breathers use. It's used commonly in theatrical settings to create the fireball effect.

 

It's not very combustable when in a large pile, but when you spread it out over the air into fine particles, combined with a heat source in a confined space...it goes KABOOM!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion

 

This is why they have to be very careful with grain elevators--dust particles are very combustible.

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A few days ago, another person died, raising the death toll up to 2.

Article from WSJ

 

TAIPEI, Taiwan—The death toll from a blaze at a Taiwan water-park party over the weekend rose to two on Thursday, with more than 200 injured still in intensive care.

 

Taiwan’s Central News Agency said 19-year-old college student Liu Chih-wei died early in the morning after suffering burns over 90% of his body. A 20-year-old woman died on Monday after suffering similar injuries when colored powder sprayed from a stage caught fire at the party on Saturday night.

 

The report said Mr. Liu had been a design student at the College of Maritime Technology in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.

 

Investigators are looking into whether a spark might have triggered the explosion of colored corn powder thrown into the dancing crowd at the Formosa Water Park along the island’s west coast on the outskirts of Taipei.

 

Among the injured was Alex Haas, 26, of New Hampshire, who also suffered burns to his lungs and over 90% of his body.

 

Taiwan has since banned the use of flammable powders at all public activities.

 

Also worth noting is that the only American victim (a furry artist) is still at Taiwan, and his family is raising money to get him back to the US for care.

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