Formosa Water Park explosion (2015)

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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[quote=“Charlie Phillips”][quote=“Charlie Jack”]Thanks for that information, schwarzwald.

These two Chinese-language pages seem to contain some discussion of the possible ingredients or components of colored powder (but I’m not at all sure whether the discussion encompasses the kind of colored powder used at the water park), and other subjects, but I can’t make out what’s being said (I got the address of the second page from the first one):

setn.com/News.aspx?NewsID=82864

newsmarket.com.tw/blog/72246[/quote][/quote]

That second link of yours led to this news from 2013, where a chemistry teacher warned of what could, and actually happened.

The organizer of this tragic event also appears in the video:

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[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]That second link of yours led to this news from 2013, where a chemistry teacher warned of what could, and actually happened.

The organizer of this tragic event also appears in the video:

    • *[/quote]

Thanks, Charlie Phillips!

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Apple daily is publishing these front page news that the temperatures at the stage during the explosion reached 450 degrees. Is that even possible?

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Sure. It’s about the temperature you’d expect near a broad flamefront made from starch powder under non-ideal conditions of air supply and so on.

Most flames you normally see, such as from a candle or from burning wood in a campfire, are about 1000 degC average (blue hotter parts up to 2000).

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[quote=“urodacus”]Sure. It’s about the temperature you’d expect near a broad flamefront made from starch powder under non-ideal conditions of air supply and so on.

Most flames you normally see, such as from a candle or from burning wood in a campfire, are about 1000 degC average (blue hotter parts up to 2000).[/quote]

Yes, even in an open space. Poor kids.

My coworker’s daughter’s friends are still hospitalized. They took them off meds but they haven’t regained consciousness.

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12th victim died, 188 still hospitalized, 57 still in intensive care, more than 30 in critical condition.

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Alex Haas, one of the foreigners injured, has been discharged from the hospital, walking and talking, and is going home to his family to continue his recovery.

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Yes, and he apparently had 90% burns. His face looks perfectly OK from the pics. Long recovery struggle ahead for him and a very moving story with his folks coming out here, the fundraising campaign and all. Looks like a hell of nice guy, and the parents are real troopers. We’ll forgive them the “Taiwanese are the friendliest people we’ve ever met” comment.

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Alex Haas has made an amazing recovery and today, or yesterday appeared on TV back home in America to talk about it:

The video can’t be embedded here but you can see it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=140&v=TFY-Yab9Sb0

Alex has a wonderfully positive vibe. Here are some vids made during his recovery:

I hope all the other survivors are fairing well.

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Ironically and prophetically, the organizer of the tragic water park event says, at around 1:53 in the video, that if powder is handled by “those who lack expert know-how…it could raise slight concerns about public health and safety”. :wall:

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The only recent stories I have seen lately related to this horrible incident are the opening of a therapy center for the burned victims in new Taipei City, a guy who proposed to his loyal GF who never left his side after the accident, and another who gave up 3 limbs to be amputated in order to have a chance to live…

As to the ones responsible for the blaze… nada, nadita de nada.

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100 days after the explosions, survivor stories and not a glimpse of the ones responsible…

Young survivor talks about the pain of the injuries, going through recovery, knowing things will never be normal again. Relief funds can be affected by inheritance tax in case she dies, so when she got a complication, they were moved to her sister’s account. She considers herself lucky, others need help to breath or their faces were burned away. She asks who is to be held accountable? The Government? The park owners? The organizers of the event? She asks people and society in general to be understanding of the difficulties they may face and not let go of the support. It is not only money, though that will be short. She says that the best lesson would be not to let this kind of incident happen again.

The article cites the young woman hurt asking that now that the worse part is over, seems the press has set aside this incident, and anyhow, who is going to take responsibility for the incident? Also, that while there is some NHI coverage, and the rights of patients should be respected, the NHI overall shouldn’t be overloaded with the higher costs of the treatment and long rehabilitation.

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As of Oct. 1, 107 victims of the water park explosion remained hospitalized, with 19 in intensive care units and 12 listed as in critical condition, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

They will also start distributing the donations. More here focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201510060032.aspx

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“Survivors and victims of the deadly water park explosion slammed prosecutors Friday after they indicted only one organizer of the color dust event, leaving the owners of the park to go free.”

taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_c … id=2821017

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The guy without any powerful connections, presumably.

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There are many things I love about Taiwan. But the toxic mix of recklessness and impunity on display here is utterly repulsive.

Guy

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He was my coworker’s daughter’s friend.

[quote]Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) A 20-year-old man perished Wednesday due to severe burns and infection after being badly injured in a dust explosion and ensuing flash fire at a water park in New Taipei in late June, bringing the death toll from the tragedy to 13.

Wang Wei-po (王韋博) died of cardiac failure at Taipei Veterans General Hospital after becoming infected with bacterial pneumonia in mid-October, the hospital said.

The patient is the son of Tang Mei-na (唐美娜), former spokeswoman for the Committee of Family Members of Dust Explosion Victims. He was sent to the emergency center of the Taipei hospital June 27, when he was diagnosed with burns to 70 percent of his body, as well as inhalation injuries.

On June 28, Wang underwent an emergency escharotomy, a surgical incision into a burn scar intended to lessen its pull on the surrounding tissue, on all four limbs, according to the hospital.

In the following four months of treatment, the patient developed multiple complications including wound infections, pneumonia, bacteremia, septic shock and kidney failure, the hospital said.
[/quote]

Peace to his family.

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That’s terrible. Thoughts to his family.

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Sad.'RIP

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Interesting how quickly the numbers change. Up to last month, there were hundreds still in intensive care, with at least a hundred more or less in comas. Another interesting point is that they do not link the death in this case “directly” to the fire. Wonder why…

[quote]Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) A woman died of sepsis and hepatic failure Tuesday after suffering severe burns in an explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast water park (八仙樂園) in New Taipei four months ago, bringing the death toll from the tragedy to 14.

However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it cannot accept the latest fatality as a fire explosion victim until the prosecution officially deems it so.

Wu Wen-yi (吳玟儀) was admitted to Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital with burns to 52 percent of her body in the wake of the explosion and was discharged on Oct. 11.

However, she was readmitted to the hospital on Oct. 23 because her jaundice and liver enzyme levels were too high.

Her condition worsened Oct. 30 and she was sent to an intensive care unit.

She developed complications of sepsis and hepatic failure and died Tuesday.

Wang Che-chao (王哲超), a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that whether Wu’s death is directly linked to the fire explosion is yet to be determined.

“We need a prosecution statement, because this will affect her family’s right to request compensation,” Wang said.

Wu was among the nearly 500 victims from the June 27 incident at the water park in New Taipei. The disaster occurred when colored cornstarch powder dispensed into the crowd exploded, engulfing partygoers, most of them in their teens and 20s, in a wall of fire.

As of Tuesday, 43 victims of the explosion remained hospitalized, including 10 being treated at intensive care wards, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

Nine patients remain in critical condition, the ministry said.[/quote]

As the coverup intensifies, so will the families reaction. It will be interesting to see the way the news media bend when protests start.