Taiwan Today

Huge crowds at the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taipei County and a fireworks accident at the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi City spoiled celebrations Feb. 28. The theme of this year’s Pingxi festival was “Embrace Taiwan, and create new energy,” symbolizing Taiwan’s new vigor and the forthcoming upgrading of Taipei County to special municipality. The county’s Tourism and Travel Bureau held 13 sky-lantern launchings, releasing 200 lanterns each time, for a total of 2,600 free lanterns. Over 250,000 local and international tourists jammed into Pingxi’s Shifen Sky Lantern Plaza for the occasion, more than four times as many as the 60,000 visitors last year. Train travelers to Pingxi increased exponentially, and passengers crowded the Ruifang Station platform to overflowing. Although the Taiwan Railway Administration added more trains to the schedule, some travelers were still stranded. Lin Qing-quan, head of TRA’s Yilan section, took command at Ruifang and implemented emergency measures coordinating with bus operators, so that buses departed Ruifang as soon as they were full. Yang Xiu-cai, head of TRA’s Ruifang Station, said there had already been 24,000 arrivals and departures Feb. 27, with trains running until 11 p.m. to handle all travelers. Feb. 28 nine trains were added on the route from Ruifang to Shifen Station, even hooking up extra carriages to each train. Meanwhile, more than 30 spectators were injured by fireworks in Chiayi City, the first time in the 21 years of the event that anyone has been hurt. Vice President Vincent Siew, Premier Wu Den-yih and Chiayi Mayor Huang Ming-hui counted down with the crowd in Chiayi City Park to the 7 p.m. lantern lighting. As soon as the main Tiger Lantern was lit, with the theme of “Good fortune comes to the island,” aerial fireworks were set off in rapid succession, dazzling the audience. However, fireworks soon began to go off in the wrong direction and flames fell into the park, burning spectators. People in both the media and public sections were hit by falling flames. In the hot weather, many people were wearing short sleeves, and over 30 people were rushed to Chia-Yi Christian and St. Martin De Porres hospitals with burns on their arms, legs and faces, including a six-year-old girl who suffered serious burns to the face and chest. An exploding lifting charge in the fireworks mortar is suspected as the cause of the accident. (THN)