The father of one of the burn victims from last month’s Color Play Asia disaster at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park committed suicide on Saturday, apparently from stress and sadness over his son’s condition.
Police said the 63-year-old man surnamed Wang (汪) went missing after he and his wife visited their son at the Linkou (林口) branch of Chang Kung Memorial Hospital on Saturday morning.
Their eldest son later found his father’s body in the family’s old unoccupied home in Jhongli (中壢); he had apparently committed suicide by hanging. The father did not leave a suicide note.
Police said Wang’s second son suffered burns to more than 20 percent of his body, and Wang probably ended his life because of the physical and mental toll from his son’s ordeal.
Chang Kung Memorial said it regretted Wang’s death, as his son had suffered only minor injuries and was recovering well.
Social workers who visit the family members of every burn victim daily said Wang did not exhibit any abnormal behavior.
The New Taipei City Government urged people to cherish their lives and called for family members who were having trouble coping to seek assistance from one of the city’s burn management centers.
The city’s Social Welfare Department said it had assigned each burn victim a social worker to coordinate long-term care and help them with future rehabilitation.
Seven people have died from injuries sustained in the fire; 370 are still hospitalized, with 174 in critical condition.
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