It was supposed to be the first Saturday of summer vacation. On 27 June 2015, hundreds of university students in swimwear and light clothing gathered at Formosa Fun Coast water park in New Taipei City for "Color Play Asia," a party where colored cornstarch powder was sprayed over dancing crowds. The temperature that afternoon reached 36.6 degrees Celsius. At some point -- investigators would later debate whether the ignition source was a cigarette, a spark, or the sheer ambient heat -- three tons of airborne powder found a flame. The fireball was instantaneous.
The numbers arrived in waves. First reports said hundreds injured. Then the figure climbed past 400, then 508. Most of the victims were university students in their late teens and twenties, and many had been wearing little more than swimsuits in the summer heat. Some suffered burns to 80 to 90 percent of their skin. Over 50 hospitals across Taiwan received patients. By late November 2015, 15 of the injured had died. Forty-four victims remained hospitalized months after the event, with 11 in intensive care. The trauma radiated outward: a father of one surviving burn victim took his own life, and another man who killed himself expressed a wish to donate his skin to the victims.
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu ordered the water park shut immediately. Taiwan's Premier Mao Chi-kuo banned colored powder at private events nationwide pending investigation. The event organizer, Lu Chung-chi, was questioned and given bail on the condition he not leave the country. Within days, Taiwan's Organ Registry and Sharing Center issued an urgent appeal for cadaver skin donations -- the country's stocks had dwindled to just 115 rolls. Cadaver skin, medical experts noted, was far more effective than pig skin or synthetic alternatives for blocking contamination and promoting regeneration in severe burn patients. Donations of cadaver skin were sent from the United States and the Netherlands. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that all medical expenses for burn patients from 27 June through 30 September would be covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance.
The investigation revealed that the powder's manufacturer, Tai Won Food Industrial Co., had printed warnings on the packaging: do not use in enclosed spaces or under high temperatures, because the powder can ignite. Organizers had purchased three tons of it. In October 2015, prosecutors charged Lu Chung-chi with negligence. He was found guilty in April 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison in 2018. The Supreme Court authorized the seizure of NT$507 million in assets from the park's senior administration. The National Health Insurance Administration sought an additional NT$436 million from event organizers, claiming total medical costs of NT$765 million. In 2025, an appeal court ordered the New Taipei municipal government and the Tourism Administration to pay NT$21 million in compensation to victims' families, though the National Fire Agency was found not responsible.
The disaster reshaped Taiwan's approach to public safety at large-scale events. The government eased National Health Insurance requirements for burn victims, ensuring faster coverage in mass-casualty situations. Taiwan imported large quantities of artificial and cadaver skin to rebuild depleted medical stockpiles. The country's burn treatment infrastructure, strained to its limits by the disaster, drew international recognition -- European medical professionals later praised Taiwan's achievements in treating the hundreds of burn survivors. In June 2025, an exhibition marking the tenth anniversary of the fire was held from the 25th to the 29th, a public remembrance of a summer afternoon that transformed in seconds from celebration to catastrophe.
Located at 25.14N, 121.39E in the Bali District of New Taipei City, along the north bank of the Tamsui River near its mouth at the Taiwan Strait. The former Formosa Fun Coast water park site is visible from the air as a cleared area along the coast. Taipei Songshan Airport (RCSS) is approximately 20 km to the east. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (RCTP) is about 20 km to the south. Best observed at 3,000-5,000 feet.