The last patient injured in a deadly dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里) on June 27 last year was discharged from hospital earlier this month, while recovery for the hundreds of people injured in the incident continues, health authorities said yesterday, six days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the disaster.
The patient, a 21-year-old man with burns covering 90 percent of his body, was discharged on June 3 after receiving treatment at two hospitals in Taipei for a total of 341 days, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said.
NHIA official Chang Wen-wen (張溫溫) said the man underwent several skin grafts and physical therapy on his joints.
The blast at the water park occurred when colored cornstarch powder, used for party effects, exploded and burst into flames, engulfing partygoers.
A total of 508 people were injured and 15 died from their injuries.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 281 of the victims sustained burns that covered more than 40 percent of their bodies, including 41 people with burns to more than 80 percent of their bodies.
The National Health Insurance program has paid more than NT$765 million (US$23.73 million) to cover the victims’ medical costs, Chang said.
Meanwhile, the NHIA has filed a lawsuit against the party’s organizers and other related parties with the Shilin District Court as it seeks NT$436 million in compensation to cover the costs incurred in the first month after the accident, Chang said.
The case has yet to come before the court, she added.
In April, Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉), the head of the local firm that organized the Color Play Asia party at the water park, was found guilty of negligence causing death and injury and was sentenced by the Shilin court to four years and 10 months in prison.
A Hualien pomelo farmer refused to sell to China after the country announced it would permit more Taiwanese pomelo imports, prompting widespread support from Taiwanese consumers, who rallied to buy his fruit. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said that China’s General Administration of Customs registered an additional 79 Taiwanese pomelo orchards and packing facilities in Hualien County, allowing more Taiwanese producers to export pomelos to China. “I am a Hualien fruit farmer and I refuse to sell to China,” Liu Tzu-hao (劉子豪) from Ruisui Township (瑞穗) said in an online post. Liu is a well-known farmer in the community and has served
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Wednesday said decommissioned coast guard vessels were given to the Philippines to enhance regional rescue capacity and would not affect Taiwanese fishers’ rights and benefits. Kuan made the remarks after confirmation on Tuesday that a 500-tonne Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol and rescue vessel would be given to the Philippine Coast Guard. The donation ceremony was reportedly done in Manila, but whether the vessel — previously numbered “CG123” and named Kinmen (金門) — has been handed over has yet to be confirmed. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Wednesday criticized the donation for “taking
UPDATE: The submarine would need to undergo combined systems testing and crew training for navy personnel before it is ready for mission, an expert said Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, the Hai Kun (Narwhal, 海鯤), could be delivered to the navy as early as next month, military expert and Taiwan Association for Security and Development chairman Chi Tung-yun (紀東昀) said yesterday. The submarine was yesterday morning observed departing for its 21st sea trial and its 15th submerged test. The vessel missed the initial delivery deadline of November last year due to “testing delays,” its primary contractor, shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan, said in June. The contractor also cited “political pressure from China” in procuring critical equipment. All testing operations are in the final stages, with the
Six NT$10 million (US$315,527) special prizes and seven NT$2 million grand prizes in Taiwan's May-June uniform invoice lottery remained unclaimed as of today, including one NT$10 million winner who spent only NT$10 on an Uber Eats delivery order, the Ministry of Finance said. The ministry said the 13 winners need to claim their prizes by Nov. 5. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize for May-June was 38548029, with 18 winning receipts in total. The NT$2 million grand prize number was 10138845, of which there were 22 winning receipts, the ministry said. In addition to the receipt issued for an
RSS