THE number of people injured by an explosion and fire in a recreational water park in Taiwan has risen to 524, local health department said yesterday.

    A total of 194 people were severely injured, but no deaths have been reported yet, said New Taipei city health bureau.

    Most of the victims suffered severe burns or have inhaled large amounts of black carbon dust. The injured were being treated in 43 local hospitals.

    The island’s health department has launched an emergency rescue routine, calling for medical institutions in nearby cities, including Taipei and Keelung, to help treat the injured.

    A total of 183 patients in intensive care need urgent skin grafts, according to the medical bureau of Taiwan’s health and welfare department.

    The bureau said it has sent out urgent calls to organ donation centers and the plastic surgery medical association for donated skin, artificial skin and albumin among other biological necessities.

    At an emergency meeting yesterday, Eric Chu, mayor of New Taipei, ordered a complete moratorium on the use of carbon powder in his jurisdiction.

    Authorities in other parts of the island also vowed strict controls on the use of powders and other flammable materials in public places.

    Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, expressed sympathy for the victims yesterday.

    The mainland’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) has contacted Taiwan’s Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) to provide all possible assistance, said the spokesman.

    Fire broke out after the explosion of a large amount of flammable powder in the Formosa Water Park in New Taipei city Saturday evening.

    The park was having a Color Play Asia party attended by 4,500 people, when powder ejected from a performance stage ignited, flying off in all directions and engulfing the audience.

    It is the worst mass injury in the city’s history.

    The exact cause of the fire was still being investigated.

    Apart from Taiwanese, the victims were four people from Hong Kong, two mainland students studying in Taiwan, and one each from Macao, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. The nationalities of three other foreigners were not given.

    Taiwan’s Central News Agency said 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 injury and endangering the public, it said.

    (Xinhua)