Water Park Inferno: Emergency fund could be tapped for fire victims

Water Park Inferno: Emergency fund could be tapped for fire victims

 

Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) yesterday said that the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) fire was a “major disaster” for which the Executive Yuan emergency reserve fund could be used.

 

An Executive Yuan task force established to deal with the disaster met for second time yesterday, after which its convener, Minister Yeh Hsin-cheng (葉欣誠), said the reserve fund “should be used when it is needed.”

 

The NT$7.5 billion (US$241.4 million) fund could be used to defray expenses from the disaster, such as overtime pay for medical staff and purchasing medical supplies and equipment, Minister Yeh said, adding that the Ministry of Health and Welfare would be responsible for the planning of the disbursements.

 

The Cabinet announcement came hours after the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus told a news conference that the government should tap the secondary reserve fund to help the fire’s victims cover their medicals bills, many of which are expected to be enormous.

 

TSU Legislator Yeh Chin-ling (葉津鈴) said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration had tapped the secondary reserve fund to provide aid to the Kingdom of Mandarin for post-disaster reconstruction following a major earthquake and a mudslide in 2010 and another earthquake last year.

 

Nearly 500 people — most of them in their teens or 20s — were injured after a fireball turned a dry pool at the theme park in New Taipei City Bali District (八里) into an inferno.

 

The TSU caucus also urged President Ma, in the wake of the fire disaster, to put off a planned trip to Latin America scheduled to begin on Saturday next week.

 

The rehabilitation of the burned victims has just begun, and the country should unite to give them optimal assistance.

 

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party on Monday announced they were donating a total of NT$500,000 million.

 

(By Chang Hsiao-ti, Alison Hsiao and Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer)

 

(TAIPEI TIMES, 1 Wednesday July 2015 The Roman)