Please note that the content in this article is graphic in nature.
An event thought to have been celebrating ‘Color Day Asia‘ ended in tragedy on Saturday night in Taiwan. The party was being held at the Formosa Water Park in Taipei’s Bali District. At roughly 8:30 p.m. local time, a “mysterious powder” sprayed into the air just before combustion. A fire department spokesperson gave this statement:
“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.”
Early reports suggest that more than 200 people were injured, 80 of which sustained serious injury, many with burns covering more than 40% of their bodies. One witness told a local news team:
“It started on the left side of the stage. At the beginning I thought it was part of the special effects of the party but then I realised there was something wrong and people started screaming and running.”
Photos from the event show medical response teams using inflatable tubes from the park’s rides as stretchers for the injured. Mayor Eric Chu’s response:
“We are very sorry about what happened and we will investigate the cause to find out who is responsible.”
The video above the crowd disperse as a dense smoke suddenly turns to flames. Additional photos taken of the accident’s fallout can be seen on Mirror.co.uk.
