The Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) blast on Saturday night claimed its second fatality after a male college student who sustained burns to more than 95 percent of his body died early yesterday morning.
Liu Chih-wei (劉致葦), 19, was a freshman in Taipei College of Maritime Technology’s fashion, design and management department.
Liu experienced ventricular tachycardia at about 3:30am yesterday, but his heartbeat returned to normal after 10 minutes of resuscitation efforts and electric shock treatment, Taichung Veterans General Hospital said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
“After discussing the matter thoroughly with Liu’s family, they decided to give up emergency resuscitation. The patient was pronounced dead at 5:41am after a cardiac arrest,” the hospital said.
Liu’s family were hoping that their son might recover after his idol, pop diva Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), recorded a message dedicated to the young man in the hope of boosting his will to live.
Taiwan-born fashion designer Jason Wu (吳季剛) sent a flower basket and a prayer for Liu’s recovery after learning that the 19-year-old had always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer.
Liu’s elder brother, Liu Chih-yu (劉致佑), thanked everyone who had helped treat his brother, while demanding justice for all blast victims.
“Chih-wei fought really hard, but maybe he knew himself that he could not hang on any longer and he did not want to cause our mother too much trouble,” Liu Chih-yu said.
“It had been a difficult path, so my brother chose another one that would be easier for himself and for our mother,” he added.
In related developments, Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) yesterday morning conducted the first debridement surgery on the 12-year-old brother of the disaster’s first fatality, 20-year-old Lee Pei-yun (李珮筠), who died on Monday.
TVGH plastic surgeon Ma Hsu (馬旭) said they treated the lower limbs of the boy, who suffered severe burns to nearly 90 percent of his body. The surgery was successful, he said.
The doctor said that 24 of the 37 victims admitted into the hospital remained in intensive care, with 21 under intubation.
“We expect to remove breathing tubes from one patient today [yesterday] and from two tomorrow [today], to make them more comfortable,” Ma said, adding that the hospital would closely monitor the victims’ pulmonary conditions in the following days.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare released the latest statistics on the explosion, with 495 injured and two dead.
As of yesterday, 428 were still being treated at 41 hospitals nationwide, with 184 in critical condition and 241 in intensive care units or burn wards.
In light of the victims’ needs for intensive medical care, National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Huang San-kuei (黃三桂) urged people not to visit the emergency units of hospitals treating a large number of the victims, unless the conditions are extremely severe and urgent.
They include Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, Tri-Service General Hospital, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Mackay Memorial Hospital’s Taipei and Tamsui (淡水) branches, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital and Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
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