TAIPEI, Taiwan — More than 400 people, many of them seriously burned, remained in hospitals Sunday after a fire spread into a crowd of spectators at a music party at a Taiwan water park, authorities said.
An accidental explosion of a colored theatrical powder thrown from the stage in front of about 1,000 people sparked the fire late Saturday, according to the local fire agency and media. The powder for the one-time event, called "Color Play Asia," ignited along the ground, mainly burning people's lower bodies, said Wang Wei-sheng, a liaison with the New Taipei City fire department command center.
Many of the victims were in their teens and '20s, Focus Taiwan reported.
The exact cause of the fire was still being investigated, but Taiwan Premier Mao Chih-kuo banned public activities that use the colored powder.
The fire injured a total of 519 people at the Formosa Water Park in New Taipei City, according to a statement from the city government's health bureau. It said 419 remained hospitalized on Sunday afternoon, about half of whom were seriously injured, including 184 in intensive care. Apart from Taiwanese, the victims included four people from Hong Kong, two from the Chinese mainland and one each from Macau, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. The nationalities of three other foreigners were not provided.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou visited burn victims at a hospital in Taipei on Sunday afternoon. He said authorities would do their best to ensure victims receive "the best medical care," and to find out what was responsible for the "tragic incident."
Taiwan's state-run Central News Agency reported that police were questioning two park workers who had launched the powder, as well as the party's on-site organizer and two technicians. They may face charges of professional negligence causing serious injuries and endangering the public, it said.
Additional reporting by Mashable