Taiwan dust explosion raises questions about hosting similar events in the SAR
One of five Hong Kong residents injured in Saturday's dust explosion at a water park in New Taipei City returned to the SAR for further treatment on Monday, while another went to Shanghai where her parents live.
The five Hong Kong victims were seriously burned after colored cornstarch used at a music event ignited, injuring nearly 500 people. The blast claimed its first life on Monday after a 20-year-old woman died from 90-percent burns.
Lee Yi-lam, 18, who was flown back to the SAR, was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital. Her father said her condition was better than expected but she still needs to be hospitalized for two months.
Yip Kei-tung, 18, who suffered 50-percent burns, was transferred to Shanghai on Monday night.
The New Taipei City government will cover all of their medical expenses in Taiwan. The cost of the jet ambulance will be settled by an insurance company and the victims' families.
The other three Hong Kong residents remain in Taiwan hospitals. Two of them - Chow Wing-shan, 25, and Chan Hiu-yin, 18 - were in stable condition. The most seriously injured Hong Kong victim, 19-year-old woman Mok Tsz-ching, is still being treated in the intensive care unit of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei.
Mok, who received 65-percent burns, was conscious when visited by family members, but was only able to nod to communicate. It is expected that Mok, who underwent six hours of surgery on Monday, would need further operations, such as replacing burned skin with artificial skin.
A doctor at Taipei City Hospital Zhongxing Branch refused to allow Chow, who suffered 50-percent burns, to be transferred to other hospitals immediately, saying there could be a risk of infection that could affect her internal organs and kidney. The hospital plans to transfer Chow to a special medical center for treatment.
The explosion has called into question the safety of two upcoming similar events in Hong Kong to be held at the AsiaWorld-Expo - next month's Life in Color Paint Party and the Color Run in December.
The fate of the Color Run is up in the air as it plans to use similar colored cornstarch to spray its participants, while the Color Paint Party may go ahead after claiming it will only use liquid paint.
AsiaWorld-Expo has decided to shelve the application for Color Run amid public concern over the safety of colored powder.
Some participants have called for both events to be cancelled, while others demanded refunds for tickets purchased for July's music party, but were refused as the organizer assured that the event would be safe.
In a statement, a spokesman for the organizer of Color Run denied that the colored cornstarch to be used at the event is unsafe, explaining that it's different from that used in Taipei.
Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said the government has yet to issue the licenses for the two events pending an assessment by the Fire Services Department.
Acting deputy chief fire officer Tsang Wing-hung said the department will further study the paint samples submitted by the organizers for next month's event. The department did not find any colored powder after carrying out a surprise inspection of 28 entertainment venues on Sunday.
At the request of lawmakers, the Legislative Council is likely to hold an urgent meeting next Wednesday to discuss the use of cornstarch for similar events.
