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Horrifying footage shows fire ripping through crowd at water park, injuring 500 people

They were attending a ‘colour party’ and were covered in green and yellow powder which caught fire.

Taiwan Fire Emergency rescue workers and concert spectators tend to injured victims. TR / AP/PA TR / AP/PA / AP/PA

MORE THAN 500 people have been injured after a ball of fire ripped through a crowd at a water park in Taiwan.

The injury toll in the blast late yesterday, which came as coloured powder being sprayed on the partygoers ignited, more than doubled as officials began to track down victims who had taken themselves to hospital or been ferried there by others. Some 200 of the injured are said to be seriously hurt.

Horrifying amateur video footage showed crowds of young revellers dancing in front of a stage and cheering as clouds of green and yellow powder covered them at the “colour party”.

But their joy turned to terror when the powder suddenly erupted into flames engulfing them in an inferno as they ran screaming for their lives.

mediarakyat / YouTube

Some were dressed only in swimwear and images from the scene show many with severe burns being tended by those who escaped.

One male student who sustained minor injuries described the scene as “hell”.

“There was blood everywhere, including in the pool where lots of the injured were soaking themselves for relief from the pain,” he told reporters.

His visibly shaken girlfriend added: “I saw lots of people whose skin was gone.”

Ambulances had struggled to reach the scene, and victims were carried away on rubber rings and inflatable dinghies as friends desperately tried to get them out.

Bystanders poured bottles of water on the scorched skin of the injured. Trails of bloody footprints leading away from the stage remained.

Around 1,000 spectators had been at the Color Play Asia event at the Formosa Fun Coast water park, just outside the capital Taipei, according to officials.

STR / AP/PA STR / AP/PA / AP/PA

One male witness told local news channel CTI: “It started on the left side of the stage. At the beginning I thought it was part of the special effects of the party but then I realised there was something wrong and people started screaming and running.”

Lee Lih-jong, deputy chief of the health bureau of the New Taipei City government, said 519 people had been injured with 190 of them seriously hurt.

The severely wounded are being treated in intensive care units at 37 different hospitals.

“The reason why the burns were so severe was that in addition to burns to the skin, there were also injuries caused by burns to the respiratory organs from the large amount of colour powder inhaled,” Lee told AFP.

“The next 24 hours will be critical for those severely injured.”

Young victims

One father broke down as he told how his daughter was in intensive care with third degree burns.

“She was attending a music concert… why would there be an explosion?” he wept bewildered.

“More than 80 percent of her body has been scorched,” he told reporters.

The man, who was not named, lashed out at authorities saying they had not contacted him or offered any help.

The water park issued a statement today saying it was “deeply saddened” and would cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

General manager Chen Hui-ying told reporters that all partygoers had been insured but did not say to what amount.

“Throwing coloured corn starch around… we had never heard such an activity could be dangerous,” she said.

STR / AP/P STR / AP/P / AP/P

The health bureau’s Lee said details of the ages of the victims were not yet available, “but all looked very young, in their 20s or even younger”.

“Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire… was caused by the powder spray. It could have been due to the heat of the lights on the stage,” said a spokesman for the New Taipei City fire department.

Deputy fire chief Chen Chung-yueh said the blast may have been caused by “sparks from machinery or lighting equipment”.

Five people including event manager Lu Chung-chi were detained by police.

They are being questioned by prosecutors on charges of offences against public safety and negligence of duties that caused severe injuries, a police spokesman said.

Color Play Asia has also run other “colour parties” in Taiwan in the past two years.

Taiwan’s premier Mao Chih-kuo, who visited the injured today, ordered that all such events be banned unless their safety could be assured.

- © AFP 2015.

Read: Fire crews battle massive blaze at Ballymun shopping centre>

Read: Ireland’s Eye was badly scorched by raging gorse fires>

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    Mute No One
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    Jun 28th 2015, 10:56 AM

    I’ve seen some shocking footage in my time but that is truly horrendous.

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    Mute Joe Curran
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    Jun 28th 2015, 10:50 AM

    Please correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t any airborne power highly flammable? I would have thought any fire officer, if consulted would have advised against this “entertainment”
    It’s such a tragedy that souls never have happened. Thoughts with the victims.

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    Mute Tim Allen
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    Jun 28th 2015, 12:13 PM

    Your right Joe, it’s call fine powder combustion. Mills go to a lot of effort to keep heat and possible sparks well away from the powder.

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    Mute Jimmy Murphy
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    Jun 28th 2015, 11:26 AM

    Spraying hundreds of people with a flammable material is reckless and naive in the extreme and those poor people paid for it dearly. Terrible but ridiculous thing that should never have been allowed to happen

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    Mute Glenard
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    Jun 28th 2015, 11:15 AM

    It’s like they are in hell on earth.

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    Mute Mike McCarthy
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    Jun 28th 2015, 11:49 AM

    There are plenty of videos on YouTube of experiments using corn flour dust to make fireballs.

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    Mute Mike McCarthy
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    Jun 28th 2015, 11:49 AM
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    Mute Francis Devenney
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    Jun 28th 2015, 12:46 PM

    Those poor people burning like that has to be one of the worst things that can happen to someone. The stupidity of spraying fine powder in the air over a crowed is criminal.

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    Mute Barry Vickers
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    Jun 28th 2015, 11:26 AM
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    Mute Karl O Neill
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    Jun 28th 2015, 12:06 PM

    Horrific.

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    Mute James Fitzgerald
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    Jun 28th 2015, 12:19 PM

    Even after it caught fire some idiot still sprayed out a couple of bursts! I mean for feck sake the entire crowd was on fire, what was he at?

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    Mute TomLavin
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    Jun 28th 2015, 2:53 PM

    Most likely it was automatic bursts but You Never know , I’ve often used smoke machines for gigs along with a foam machine but I’ve never heard of combustible dusts been used for effects reckless isn’t the word for it , however fully this tragic event will will highlight the importance of safety and competent consultation before an event like this.

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    Mute Range Rover P38
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    Jun 28th 2015, 3:38 PM

    tom any fine dust is flammable if it’s airborne.

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    Mute steve white
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    Jun 28th 2015, 11:16 PM

    video it looked like a smoke machine more then powder.

    thejournal does not do big enough warning on that video, made the mistake of watching the start of it it last night

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