In New Taipei an explosion turned a colored powder party into an inferno. At least 510 people, including 4 tourists from the chinese mainland, were injured, over 180 of them seriously.
The explosion hit a water park Saturday after coloured powder being sprayed onto a crowd ignited. Footage shows crowds dancing as music played.
Clouds of powder were sprayed out that suddenly turned into a ball of fire and tore through the spectators. Terrified partygoers ran for their lives, screaming, as they were overtaken by flames.
According to the police, around 12 thousand people had attended the Color Play Asia event at the Formosa Fun Coast waterpark that night. Firefighters say the explosion and fire were caused by the powder spray.
An initial probe shows the powder could have been ignited by the heat of the lights on the stage. This is the worst incident of mass injury in the history of New Taipei city. City mayor Eric Chu told reporters the injured have been sent to hospitals nearby. He pledged to investigate the cause of the blast, to find out who is responsible for the tragedy.
He said the city authorities demanded the park is shut down immediately for inspection. A man responsible for the event has been detained by police for investigation.
