The High Court yesterday found that the New Taipei City Government and Tourism Administration were negligent in their duties and must compensate the victims of a 2015 water park explosion.
During a “Color Play Asia” party at the now-defunct Formosa Fun Coast (八仙樂園) water park on June 27, 2015, powder blown into the air ignited, leading to 15 deaths and nearly 500 injuries.
Families of the victims later sued the Tourism Bureau (now the Tourism Administration), the New Taipei City Government and the National Fire Agency for compensation.
Photo: Taipei Times
They lost the first two trials prior to yesterday’s ruling.
Seven parents appealed their case to the High Court, which yesterday found that the city government and tourism agency bear some responsibility for the accident.
The court ordered each of the plaintiffs to receive NT$3 million (US$91,465), for a total of NT$21 million in restitution to be paid out.
The National Fire Agency was found not responsible.
This judgement can be appealed.
The Tourism Administration and New Taipei City Government said they would consult with lawyers regarding respective next steps.
The court said that prior to the party, the tourism agency knew the water park did not have the proper certification to host such events.
However, it failed to impose fines, revoke its business license or demand improvements, the ruling said.
The New Taipei City Government conducted inspections of the water park, but failed to properly supervise correction of its issues, the ruling said.
Personnel from the city’s Urban and Rural Development Bureau failed to fine or order the demolition of the park, despite the fact that it was built illegally on land designated for agricultural use, it said.
The New Taipei City Public Works Department also did not bring the facility in line with regulations, even after the area was illegally subdivided and leased out, it added.
During the “Color Play Asia” party, colored powder was sprayed from the stage onto the dance floor, creating a cloud of dust that ignited when it came into contact with hot lightbulbs.
Although the event organizer, Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉), was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his role in the incident, officials’ negligence also played a role, the ruling said.
The National Fire Agency, having never encountered an outdoor dust explosion, was deemed to be not negligent and was exempted from providing compensation to victims, the court added.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS