A ghostly water park that has been abandoned for the last decade after a tragic explosion has been explored by an American vlogger.
Exploring with Josh, a youtuber who ‘explores the unknown’, visited the abandoned Formosa Water Park in New Taipei City where a 40-second fire injured 508 people, killed 15 and left 199 in critical condition.
The once hugely popular theme park in the heart of Taiwan‘s capital was rented out one night for a dance and music event where coloured powder exploded over the crowd.
The powder was made with corn starch, a highly flammable substance, which caused ‘hellish’ burns on party-goers whose skin ‘melted off’ under the substance.
Vast pools of blood were seen inside the arena, where 1,000 people had been enjoying the Colour Play Asia event.
The party organiser, Lu Chung-chi, has since been jailed for negligence and sentenced to five years in prison.
After the disaster, New Taipei City’s mayor Eric Chu ordered an immediate shutdown of the water park and detained the event organiser for police investigation.
But the vlogger broke into the property to discover what had changed in the ten years since it had been flooded with crowds.
A youtuber visited the abandoned Formosa Water Park in New Taipei City where a 40-second fire burned 508 people, killed 15 and left 199 in critical condition
A party had been throwing coloured powder over revellers which caused ‘hellish’ burns on party-goers whose skin ‘melted off’ under the substance
The water park was immediately shut down after the disaster and has been slowly reclaimed by nature
Josh evaded security guards, obstructions to the road and had to cross a river through a forest to get to the highly restricted property.
Alarms and cameras had also been set up to ward off intruders.
Josh said that the Taiwanese government had left it empty ‘out of respect’ of the disaster and did not know if they had any plans for its future.
Deserted water slides were covered in leaves and moss, while fun fair rides were boarded up.
‘If you didn’t know anything about what happened here…it’s just so eerie, but when you know the history and meet people who have been here before, seen videos on the internet, it makes it so much more creepy,’ the vlogger said.
When Josh began exploring the huge water tunnels that have since dried up, he discovered vandalised panels inside showing other curious trespassers had also wanted to see the relics of Formosa Water Park.
Faded signs and ghostly caricatures haunt the park, as well as empty lockers and closed restaurants.
Paint peels inside abandoned rooms and plants grow through cracks.
Footage from videos shows a ball of bright flames covering the crowd of 1,000 party-goers
Dozens of attendants suffered burns to 80 to 90 per cent of their skin after colourful powder exploded over them
‘There was blood everywhere, including in the pool where lots of the injured were soaking themselves for relief from the pain,’ one witness said
Revellers dressed in swimwear caught alight after a flammable powder was stuck to their skin
When Josh and his team try to leave the haunted park, the river they crossed to enter the park swells and is too deep to cross, forcing the explorer to find another route out.
Ten years ago, when the powder initially caught on fire, only the airborne particles caught on fire.
Staff sprayed carbon dioxide fire extinguishers on the flames as party-goers tried to escape, causing the dust cloud to disperse into multiple clouds which was responsible for most of the burns.
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 said.
When asked by reporters why people had been allowed to smoke at the event, Color Play Asia’s Lu said: ‘There were too many people smoking at the scene, there was just no way to stop it’
‘I saw lots of people whose skin was gone’ one party-goer said
Staff sprayed carbon dioxide fire extinguishers on the flames as party-goers tried to escape, causing the dust cloud to disperse into multiple clouds which was responsible for most of the burns
One male student, who sustained minor injuries, described the scene as ‘hell’
Victims in desperation used inflatable toys while waiting for medical help
His visibly shaken girlfriend added: ‘I saw lots of people whose skin was gone.’
Another 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.’
When asked by reporters why people had been allowed to smoke at the event, Color Play Asia’s Lu said: ‘There were too many people smoking at the scene, there was just no way to stop it.’
General manager of the water park Chen Hui-ying said the venue had ‘never heard [that] such an activity could be dangerous’.
But the company that supplied the corn starch to Color Play Asia warned of its flammability.
Taiwan Food Industrial Co said Color Play Asia had purchased a total of three tonnes of corn starch in four separate deals this year.
The company said the colour powder was ‘flammable under high temperatures, especially when its density is high’.
Two insurance investigators inspected the site of the water park explosion
One party-goer said he ‘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’
Bloody footprints trail away from the scene of the disaster where more than 1,000 people gathered to celebrate a colour party inspired by the Indian festival Holi
The horrific explosion caused a shortage of cadaver skin, with Taiwan’s Organ Registry and Sharing Centre calling for urgent donations
It added that warnings were printed on the bags of corn starch asking users to wear goggles, warning of flammability and banning its use in an closed space.
Chou Hui-fang, vice president of the company, said: ‘We feel hurt for the young people. We’ve stopped selling and producing such powder in line with the government ban.’
The Taiwan Premier Mao Chi-Kuo quickly banned coloured powders at private events until an investigation was completed.
The horrific explosion caused a shortage of cadaver skin, with Taiwan’s Organ Registry and Sharing Centre calling for urgent donations, with some rolls shipped in from the US and the Netherlands.
