Almost 500 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park

week3  Almost 500 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park

By Kimberly Hutcherson, Kevin Wang and Greg Botelho, CNN

June 29, 2015

Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare put out a call for medical supplies and skin grafts for the hundreds injured after flammable powder exploded in midair at a recreational water park, Taiwanese media reported.

By late Sunday, no fatalities had been reported, and the total number of injuries had dropped to 498, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency, which cited New Taipei's Public Health Department. The department said some of the injured were inadvertently counted twice in its previous tally of 524.

Forty-three hospitals are treating casualties, CNA reported, and 202 of the victims are in critical condition.

Most of the victims, 485 of them, are Taiwanese, but 13 foreigners were also injured, CNA said. The majority of injured foreigners are female. They include residents of Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

Though the New Taipei government said the nationalities of three of the victims had not yet been confirmed, it was reported earlier that a "European or American" man was among the wounded.

Of the injured, 182 are hospitalized in intensive care units, New Taipei public health officials said. More than 60 have been discharged after treatment.

Liu Yeuh-Ping of Taipei's Department of Health told CNN that while there was ample room for patients in intensive care units, there are not enough spaces in the specialized burn units, so health authorities are trying to move patients in need of intensive burn care.

A massive fireball

Firefighters said the firestorm erupted around 8:30 p.m. Saturday (8:30 a.m. ET), when a flammable powder substance blew up over a stage at Formosa Fun Coast, according to a CNA report.

Video showed a massive fireball suddenly engulfing the stage, followed by screaming people running for their lives through flames.

"The fire came too fast and nobody was able to run," said witness Huang Guan Zhang, 19. "Everybody was burned. ... Nobody could save others and people suffered severe burns."

Some people used large, inflated inner tubes as stretchers to carry out the injured, CNA reported.

After visiting with hospitalized victims, Taiwan's Premier Mao Chi-Kuo announced a ban on color powder events while the incident is being investigated, according to CNA. In a video distributed by the government, he said the ban would be in place until color powder can be proved safe.

President Ma Ying-Jeou also met with people injured in the fire. He said the Taiwanese government would help the victims and promised a full investigation.

Two people being questioned

Five people have been questioned in connection with the blast, according to Tu Yi Te, secretary in chief of the Luzhou District police department. He said two of them are considered to be suspects -- the organizer of the party and the person in charge of lighting and hardware.

They were brought to the prosecutor for further questioning, Tu said, and CNA reported the Taipei Shilin District Prosecutors Office released the two on bail and barred them from leaving the country.

Organizer Lu Chung-chi's bail was about $32,000, while the hardware engineer's was almost $9,700, CNA said.

Mayor Eric Chu called it the "worst incident of mass injury (ever) in New Taipei," Taiwan's most populous city.

Formosa Fun Coast said the fiery explosion occurred during a "Color Play Asia" party put on by a separate company that leased out space at the park.

"We are very regretful (for) this accident that caused injuries to many victims," Formosa Fun Coast said in a statement. "The most urgent matter currently for us is to handle and assist with ... victims on the scene and work comprehensively with the New Taipei Fire Department."

The organizer of "Color Play Asia" apologized and promised to take full responsibility, CNA reported.

"We need to apologize to the families. I am very sorry that something like this happened," Lu told CNA. "We shoulder ultimate responsibility."

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/28/asia/taiwan-water-park-explosion/index.html

Structure of the Lead:

WHO-injured people

WHEN- not given

WHAT-injured in explosion 

WHY-the flammable powder

WHERE-Taiwan water park

HOW-not given

keywords:

1.flammable: 易燃的

2. midair:半空中

3.  fatalities:死亡

4. inadvertently: 不經意間

5. casualties:傷亡

6. ample:充足

7. engulfing:吞沒

8. hardware:硬件

9. prosecutor:起訴人

10. ultimate: 最終

Aung San Suu Kyi begins U.S. tour

week2    Aung San Suu Kyi begins U.S. tour

September 19, 2012

By Ashley Fantz, CNN

Myanmar democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi kicked off her 17-day tour of the United States on Tuesday by meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The two were photographed laughing and chatting at the State Department, where they met in Clinton's private office.

Over the next two weeks, Suu Kyi is slated meet with high-level Washington officials and democratic activists in Washington.

She'll be honored at ceremonies across Washington and on Wednesday receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Then it's on to New York to speak at a university and at a museum.

Next week, she'll be a guest of the Sen. Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. Her trip ends in California.

It is a lot of travel for a person who spent most of the past 20 years under house arrest imposed by her country's ruling military junta.

She was released from detention in November 2010 and this year was finally able to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize she won in 1991.

"We have this plan throughout the country that when refugees come, we try and find sponsors, and I don't know yet about Fort Wayne," Clinton told Suu Kyi on Tuesday.

"I'm looking forward to visiting Fort Wayne," Suu Kyi replied. "There's all sorts of interesting things happening in Fort Wayne."

As part of Suu Kyi's U.S. tour, she will visit the Indiana city, home to one the United States' largest populations of Burmese expatriates. Since the early 1990s, about 5,000 Burmese have carved out a life there.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/18/world/suu-kyi-us-visit/index.html

Structure of the Lead：

WHO-Aung San Suu Kyi

WHEN-not given

WHAT-tour about U.S

WHY-meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

WHERE-U.S.

HOW-not given

Keywords：

1.democratic:民主的

2.sort:類型

3.expatriate:亡命國外者

4.population:人口

5.sponsor:發起者

6.detention:滯留

7.junta:軍人集團

8.impose:利用

9.slate:責罵

10.activist:行動主義者