💥 Formosa Fun Coast Dust Explosion: Hidden Dangers of Color Runs Come True; New Taipei City Activates Major Disaster Mechanism and Investigation
Exploded. The inherent hidden dangers of Color Runs or Cornstarch Runs, which have been discussed by the public for a long time, have finally come true. A truly catastrophic dust explosion has been presented before us in such a heartbreaking way, and we are so weak and helpless.
Over five hundred Taiwanese residents and foreign visitors thought they could have a happy time at Formosa Fun Coast, but it became one of the most painful nightmares of their lives.
🚨 Disaster Occurrence and Emergency Response
Yesterday (27th) evening, during the Color Play Asia party held at Formosa Fun Coast, the event operator introduced the concept of promoting Color Runs to increase selling points. However, a extremely severe dust explosion occurred during the event, and the stage of the party at Formosa Fun Coast instantly fell into a sea of fire. A large number of people suffered burns of varying degrees of severity, with some having burn areas reaching an extremely serious 90%.
Major hospitals above the third level in New Taipei City and Taipei City immediately activated the major disaster emergency medical rescue mechanism. In a short period, emergency rooms of various medical institutions were crowded with a large number of burn patients waiting for emergency medical care.
⚠️ Emergency Appeal: If there is no particularly major injury or illness in these two days, please do not go to the emergency departments of hospitals above the third level around Bali, and be sure to leave precious medical resources to all emergency victims in this incident.
(Related list: List of injured sent to hospitals in Formosa Fun Coast explosion)
🏛️ Key Conclusions of New Taipei City Disaster Meeting
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu and Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi held disaster meetings successively this morning (28th) at 10:56. The key conclusions are as follows:
- Accountability and Apology: Deepest apologies to the injured and their families; the city government will take full responsibility.
- Sympathy for Patients: The city government will visit 38 hospitals to offer condolences to the injured, and the 4.48 million NTD condolence money will be sent out before noon today.
- Front-line Command Post: Departments like Health and Social Affairs Bureau of New Taipei City established front-line command posts in various medical institutions to assist all injured and their families.
- Strict Accountability: No leniency for operators; strict investigations will be carried out.
- Emergency Ban and Legislation: New Taipei City bans the use of colored powder (such as corn starch, metal powder) in all activities starting today and has already consulted with the central government on relevant legislation.
- System Review: The city government will review the rescue system for large numbers of casualties.
- Post-disaster Treatment Group: A post-disaster treatment group is established starting today, with Deputy Mayor Hou as the convener, to continue handling follow-up measures, aid and condolences for the injured, and legal consultation services.
- Hotline Service: Hotline service numbers: 02-29646715, 02-89535599 ext. 9.
- Thanks and Prayers: Especially thanks to the hardworking fire, police, medical personnel, social workers, volunteers, the national army, and all other teams for fully committing to the rescue. Prayers for all the injured to be safe and recover.
📞 Statement from Luzhou Police Precinct: Seeking Videos of the Incident
The Luzhou Police Precinct issued a special statement, earnestly requesting citizens who filmed videos or images of the explosion and fire incident at Bali Formosa Fun Coast on the evening of the 27th to actively provide them to the Investigation Team of the Luzhou Precinct to help clarify the process of occurrence.
- Contact Person: Li You-an, Sub-division Chief of the Investigation Team of Luzhou Precinct
- Phone: (02) 22813533
- Email: P46599@ntpd.gov.tw
📢 Inside Perspective: Short-sightedness of Unscrupulous Businessmen and the Ugliness of Political Consumption
After this dust explosion incident, Formosa Fun Coast was ordered to stop operations indefinitely by New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu at the first moment. The major shareholders behind Formosa Fun Coast, such as Wan Hai Lines (2615) and Shihlin Paper (1903), are also believed to face huge operational and stock price pressure after the market opens on Monday.
🤦♂️ The Price of Ignoring Professional Warnings
In fact, in the eyes of many experts and scholars, this dust explosion seems to have been a large-scale disaster that was just a matter of time.
Basic physical common sense dictates that high concentrations of dust may cause dust explosions. However, human beings, as a species, as long as no accident has happened, always think they won’t be the one to step on the landmine. Even when experts and scholars painstakingly advise and warn, they are thought to be nagging, threatening, and damaging the reputation of operators.
For commercial interests, whether it’s Color Runs or Cornstarch Runs, operators ignore the danger brought by large amounts of powder, disregard the safety of the public, and treat environmental destruction as a joke. Except for money, they can’t see anything else.
A sentence I always like to say to these unscrupulous businessmen is: the reason others don’t do it doesn’t mean others haven’t thought of it, but because we see those things that you look down upon but are actually more important and valuable—life and public safety.
🏛️ Requesting the Government for Strict Punishment and Regulation
We strongly suggest that the government, in addition to legislating regulations for the use of dust in public places as soon as possible, take the most severe punishment against these operators who, due to insufficient forethought, have caused innocent masses to bear the scars of a lifetime. This should serve as a warning to organizers of various future activities.
❌ Condemning Political Consumption of Disaster
Finally, by the way, I see many villagers, trolls, and keyboard warriors on the internet starting to attack Eric Chu, talking about Feng Shui at one moment and character at another. People who normally consider themselves highly intellectual are now pushing everything to ghosts and gods. But just as I didn’t say these things to Chen Chu of Kaohsiung City or Lin Chia-lung of Taichung City back then, please do not, for your own perverted political purposes, use disaster incidents to consume victims. Thank you. 迫