Taiwan water park explosion: First death reported following fire at amusement park

181 people remain in intensive care following the incident

Fire agencies are investigating the site where the tragedy took place on Saturday night ( (Photo by SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images))

A 20-year-old woman has died this morning following a fire at an amusement park in Taiwan, it has been reported.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency has named Li Pei-yun as the first fatality of the tragedy in which more than 500 people have been injured. She is understood to have suffered from burns covering 90 per cent of her body.

It is reported that she was at the park with her 12 year old brother, who also suffered severe burns and remains in intensive care.

The fire was sparked by an accidental explosion of coloured theatrical powder, which was thrown from the stage in front of a crowd of about 1,000 people at Formosa Water Park on Saturday night, according to the fire agency and local media.

The powder, used in a one-time event called “Colour Play Asia”, ignited along the ground, said Wang Wei-sheng, a liaison with the New Taipei City fire department command centre.

The fire department said: “Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire… was caused by the powder spray. It could have been due to the heat of the lights on the stage.”

An investigation into the incident is on-going.

519 victims were sent to 41 hospitals in the region. 181 remain in intensive care.