A concert was held yesterday to mark today’s one-year anniversary of the dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park and thank the medical professionals, social workers and charity volunteers who helped treat and care for the hundreds of victims.
Hundreds of survivors and family members attended the afternoon concert in Taipei to remember those who died and pay tribute to everyone who helped in the aftermath of the disaster.
The disaster in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里) occurred during a “Color Play Asia” party after colored cornstarch powder sprayed onto the crowd ignited and burst into flames, injuring 508 people, 15 of who later died.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Among the victims, 281 sustained burns to more than 40 percent of their bodies, while 41 suffered burns to more than 80 percent.
Although all have been released from hospital, many are still undergoing painful rehabilitation or facing additional surgeries including amputations.
The concert was held at the Chang Yung-Fa Foundation and featured performances by the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra as well as several of the victims.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Chen Wei-han, a 25-year-old former swimming coach, said she just wants to “return to my normal life and be able to look after myself” after she was hospitalized for seven months with burns to about 70 percent of her face and body.
“The water park and New Taipei City Government were both responsible for this huge public safety disaster. The victims and their families deserve justice,” Chen’s father said.
National Taiwan University Hospital officials used the concert to publicize the importance of skin donation and maintaining a skin bank.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
The hospital is part of a national skin bank project initiated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year after the disaster.
The hospital said cadaver skin is used to temporarily cover burns to prevent infection and reduce the risk of septic shock, so it is a critical factor in stabilizing patients with severe burns.
An adult has about 20,000cm2 of skin surface, with a thickness of about 0.5mm to 3mm, and the body can lose water and electrolytes once the skin is damaged, potentially leading to shock or death, the hospital said.
The ministry spent about NT$200 million (US$6.15 million at current exchange rates) on purchasing cadaver skin from overseas to treat the victims, the hospital said.
Since 2001, more than 1,000 people annually in Taiwan suffer severe burns, but fewer than 40 skin donations are made each year, and the skin bank has less than 5,000cm2 of cadaver skin, not enough for clinical use.
The hospital encouraged the public to register as organ donors so more people could be helped.
Additional reporting by AFP
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