Premier Mao Chi-kuo convened an emergency response meeting today following a flashover last night that injured hundreds of people at Formosa Fun Coast, a theme park in Bali District of New Taipei City. He also visited victims and their families at National Taiwan University Hospital and Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
Shocked and grieved by the accident, the premier requested all citizens to give full support and necessary assistance to the victims and their families. "The next few days are the most critical period for the treatment of the injured, and their future rehabilitation will take a long time. Hopefully everybody can stand behind the victims and encourage them," he said.
Premier Mao has been in touch with the New Taipei City Government (NTCG) since the accident occurred and has also promised that central government agencies will offer the NTCG all their available assistance and resources.
During the meeting, which was held at 9:00 this morning in the Executive Yuan, officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Labor (MOL), Ministry of Education (MOE) and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) discussed what should be handled immediately after the accident and in its aftermath. New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu was informed of their conclusions as well as the central government's response measures before the NTCG's emergency response meeting was held at 10:00 a.m.
The suspected cause of the accident is a dust explosion: the sudden ignition of a mixture of air and concentrated combustible fine particles, in this case colored powder used for a public event. The premier has thus requested that the National Fire Agency of the MOI invite related agencies such as the Environmental Protection Administration and the MOL to work out relevant management measures as soon as possible and ban use of colored powder in all public activities before its safety is proven.
The premier enjoined the MOHW to fully mobilize and stabilize the victims' conditions, and complete subsequent tasks related to their surgeries, rehabilitation, and psychological care. The Executive Yuan has also established an ad hoc task force to integrate the relevant resources of other agencies and formulate follow-up management regulations.
As the number of wounded is massive, there is public concern about the sufficiency of resources for medical procedures like skin transplantation and artificial skin grafting. In response, the premier stated that he had instructed the MOHW to conduct an inventory, and its preliminary checks found the resources to be sufficient. If there is further need, the government will expediently supply related medical materials.
As a great number of injured were students, Mao has directed the MOE to provide them comprehensive care services related to schooling, medical care and psychological counseling. In addition, as some of the victims were mainland Chinese or foreigners, the Executive Yuan has respectively enjoined the MAC and MOFA to assist in getting in touch with their family members abroad.
As of 10 a.m. today, some 516 injured had been sent to hospitals with 194 having sustained severe injuries, the premier said. As for the cause of the tragedy, the premier stated he has demanded relevant firefighting, police and prosecutorial authorities to investigate and find out the facts as well as formulate future policies to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The premier further pointed out that when the tragedy occurred, firefighting agencies and medical resources were immediately mobilized. The armed forces and private volunteer groups also plunged into the rescue, transporting the injured to medical facilities for necessary treatments. The premier particularly expressed gratitude to private-sector forces for their real-time mobilizations as well as to medical and nursing personnel for their critical services while transporting the injured and providing them the best care possible.