Hundreds Hospitalized After Fireball Engulfs Water Park in Taiwan
Hundreds of people in Taiwan have been hospitalized after a "color night" sponsored at a water park ended in flames and tragedy.
CNN reports that at least 524 people have been hospitalized, overwhelming regional medical staffs and facilities as burn victims poured out of the water park. The victims have been taken to at least 40 different hospitals. The Taiwanese government has asked the island nation's population to donate skin grafts and medical supplies to help treat the wounded.
The tragedy took place in the midst of a "color night," where plumes of powdered paint are shot into the air, coloring revelers like a rainbow, similar to "color runs" in the United States, where people go on short marathons in such paint.
At least 124 people are in serious to critical condition as a result of their injuries and are being cared for in intensive care units. Around 60 people have been released from areas hospitals already.
With so many people needing medical assistance, those who were not that badly injured began to use inflatable tubes and other pool tools as makeshift stretchers to bring the victims to safety.
The government has moved swiftly, banning all colored powder events in the country until they can be proven to be safe. Taiwan's Premier Mai Chi-Kuo also visited victims in the hospital. The government has also detained five people for questioning in connection with the incident.
Two are said to be primary suspects. The two suspects are the event's organizer, and the person responsible for lighting.
Video from the scene showed what seemed to be a normal club-like atmosphere when a sudden glow of orange appears and spreads into a massive conflagration that fills the frame.
