More than 200 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park

Taipei: More than 200 people were injured, over 80 of them seriously, in an explosion at a water park outside Taiwan´s capital Taipei Saturday after coloured powder being sprayed onto a crowd ignited, officials said.

Footage on the Apple Daily newspaper website showed crowds dancing as music played and clouds of powder being sprayed out which suddenly turned into a ball of fire that swept through the spectators.

"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," said a spokesman for the New Taipei City fire department.

The municipality´s deputy mayor said 221 had been hospitalised, with fire officials earlier saying 81 had been seriously injured.

Local media reported that 97 people were seriously hurt.

The blast happened as hundreds gathered for an event at the coastal Formosa Fun Coast waterpark, just outside the capital Taipei.

Television images showed the stage on fire and crowds running away, some of them only dressed in swimwear and covered in coloured powder.

The fire was quickly extinguished, officials said. (AFP)