Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said that his department would consult the Fire Services Department before handing out licenses to the two upcoming events involving the use of coloured spray in Hong Kong.
Ko said the Fire Services Department will contact the organisers to check the materials used and the safety measures in place. He added that the Food and Health Bureau will issue licenses to the organisers only if the Fire Services Department has no objection.
The statement comes after an explosion of coloured powder occurred at a Taiwan water park on Saturday night, injuring up to 500 people.
On Monday, a 20-year-old female died after she suffered 90% burns all over her body following the explosion.
During a radio show on Monday morning, spokesperson for the Life in Colour event said that organisers are “not considering ticket refund at this moment” because “the nature of the events [between Life in Colour and the Taiwanese one] are different”.
The spokesperson emphasised the spray used during their event is “100% water-based colour paint”, and hence is not combustible. He said that the materials have been used in various Life in Colour events in more than 200 countries without such accident.
The Life in Colour event will be held in July at AsiaWorld Expo near the Hong Kong Airport.
Organisers of the Colour Run Hong Kong event were not immediately reachable for comment.
