Fatality in Taiwan water park blaze rises to 2

A screen grab from the video shows people being trapped by flames. [Photo/IC]

TAIPEI - Fatality in a water park blaze on Saturday night in Taiwan rose to two as a man surnamed Liu died in hospital on Thursday.

The 19-year-old suffered burns of two to three degrees to over 95 percent of his body and died on Thursday morning despite intensive medical treatment, according to Taichung Veterans General Hospital.

The fire broke out as the park in the island's New Taipei city was staging a party that saw a large amount of theatrical colored powder ejected from a stage. The powder caught ignited before landing on the audience. Nearly 500 people were injured, including more than 200 severely burnt.

An initial probe shows the powder could have been ignited by the heat of the lights on the stage, yet the exact cause is still being investigated.