The organizer of Saturday’s "Color Play Asia" party at Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) apologized yesterday morning for the explosion and fire that led to massive injuries at the event on Saturday night, while promising to accept responsibility.
“We need to apologize to the families. I am very sorry that something like this happened,” local marketing firm head Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉) said, referring to the incident in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里).
“I will shoulder the ultimate responsibility,” Lu said at the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office in Taipei where he was questioned.
Photo: CNA
Lu and employees who were responsible for special effects and equipment at the party had been questioned overnight by authorities before being transferred to the prosecutors’ office in the morning.
Prosecutors are to investigate whether Lu knew that the colored powder was flammable and whether he had warned partygoers about the hazard.
In an earlier TV interview, Lu said that he used cornstarch colored with food dye to create the colored powder, adding that it was safe for the intended use.
Lu was released on bail of NT$1 million (US$32,121).
Meanwhile, DJ Alyshia .L, who hosted the event, apologized to her fans who attended the party because of her.
“I’m fine, but I almost died. I hope everyone is okay,” she said on Facebook. “I feel really sorry for my fans, and I am very sad that such a tragedy happened.”
She said that she felt like it was the end of the world when the explosion occurred, leaving her in tears, and blamed herself for injured fans, but she then immediately joined other performers in assisting partygoers.
In addition, Wang Liang-kai, who is suspected of using the chaos caused by the expolsion and its aftermath to steal from other people at the park, was arrested and questioned by police.
The incident occurred at about 8:30pm on Saturday, when dust-like colored powder apparently burst into flame near a stage.
Just under 500 people were injured, many suffering severe burns, with 202 listed as being in serious condition at press time last night.
Lu immediately kneeled down and apologized again after he was released from the prosecutors’ office.
“No one wanted this to happen. I have watched the news, and it hurts to see so many people being harmed,” he said. “I have also suffered from burns, and I know how much they hurt. I really do not know what I can do to make up for it.”
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from