Taiwan Water Park Blaze: More Than 500 Injured in Formosa Fun Coast Fire
by REUTERS
JUN 28 2015, 3:58 AM ET
TAIPEI — The number of people injured in a fire at a Taiwan water amusement park rose to 516 on Sunday, government officials said, with more than 180 still in intensive care.
Media reported four mainland Chinese and two foreigners were among those injured after Saturday's fire, during a party where up to 1,000 revelers were sprayed with colored powder as they danced to music, seeking to escape the summer heat.
The blaze, which broke out around 8:30 p.m. at the Formosa Fun Coast water park on the outskirts of the capital, Taipei, is suspected to have been caused by an explosion of the powder, local government official Lin Chieh-yu told Reuters.
"It remains under investigation as to what made the powder explode," he added. Authorities have banned the use of the powder until the investigation is completed.
"The next few days will be a critical time for the injured," Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-kuo told reporters, adding that 410 people were still in hospital on Sunday, with 194 being treated for serious injuries.
In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, rescuers treated hundreds of people, most of them aged between 20 and 30, wearing wet swimsuits and lying on inflatable plastic doughnuts. Television showed images of people running from sky-high flames.
"There was blood and people were on fire," one injured man said.
No death has yet been reported, but victims of the incident suffered burns to the limbs, with some passing out from the pain while others had burned clothes stuck to their skin, media reports and pictures showed.
"She is young. A student," sobbed the father of an 18-year-old girl with burns on 80 percent of her body, according to television footage.
Soldiers, army vehicles and medical services joined the rescue effort, while hospitals in four municipal precincts, along with Taipei, are treating sufferers.
"We are very sorry about what happened and we will investigate the cause to find out who is responsible," Eric Chu, the mayor of New Taipei City, where the park is located, said on Saturday, adding that it had been ordered to shut down.
The amusement park has been closed temporarily, it said on its website on Sunday. Taipei has sweltered in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent weeks.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/tally-injured-rises-more-500-after-taiwan-water-park-fire-n383226
Structure of the Lead：
- Who: The number of people
- When: Sunday
- Why: not given
- How: not given
- Where: Taipei in Taiwan
- What: injured in a fire at a Taiwan water amusement park rose to 516
Vocabulary:
intensive(adj.) 加強的
reveler(n.) 狂歡者
spray(v.) 噴射；掃射
outskirt(n.) 郊區
suspect(v.) 懷疑
Reuters(n.) 路透社
aftermath(n.) 災後時期
inflatable(adj.) 可充氣的
limb(n.) 臂
footage(n.) 英尺長度
municipal(adj.) 市政的
precinct(n.)管轄區域
temporarily(adv.) 暫時地
swelter(v.) 熱得難受
exceed(v.) 超過
When I knew the news, I couldn't imagine the occasion. Also, when I saw the news, my body was like in the place. It is a very very scared and harmful. The fame was very hot, most of people were scalded, and even people died. Those people need the best treat, and allowance.
回覆刪除There are two ways to view this event. Some people think they ask for it because they pay money to have fun in the water park, while others think that they didn;t know what will happen. When we talk about the medical fee, there are still two opposite sides to treat it. The first side is why all citizens have to pay this kind of money. We didn't ask them to join the party. While the other side think the victims are injuried seriously, we are willing to give them a hand. There is no accurate answer in this topic.
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