The Kaohsiung City Government Department of Health is ready to deliver skin donations from cadavers to hospitals in northern Taiwan that are treating people injured in Saturday’s suspected dust explosion at an amusement park in New Taipei City, a city official said yesterday.
The department and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, where the donated skin is stored, are standing by for the deployment of the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center, a department division head surnamed Wang (王) said.
Almost 500 people were hurt during the explosion and fire at Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸), a water park in New Taipei City’s Bali District, with many suffering from severe and extensive burns. The demand for skin transplants is expected to surge, Wang said.
Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Derek Chen (陳金德) said that the city government was willing to share its experiences on handling reparations or subrogation of lawsuits for the members of the public, adding that the municipal Department of Health would be glad to help with any needed skin transplants.
Kaohsiung experienced a series of gas pipeline explosions on July 31 and Aug. 1 last year that ripped up entire sections of asphalt and wrecked buildings, killing 32 people and injuring more than 300. The blasts were linked to leaks in a section of an underground pipeline owned by LCY Chemical Corp (李長榮化學).
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