New | Rubber Duck bounces back in Taiwan after exploding on New Year’s Eve

A giant yellow inflatable duck which exploded on New Year’s Eve returned to a Taiwan port on Friday after it was repaired and cleaned, organisers said.

Hundreds turned out in Keelung on the north of the island to welcome back the 18-metre-tall duck following two days of maintenance after it burst and deflated into a floating yellow disc on Tuesday.

It was the second time that a replica of the bath toy had burst while on show in Taiwan. The duck exploded just hours before crowds gathered to count down the New Year.

“The warmest welcome for the little yellow duck to come back to Keelung port. I am very excited and happy all over again,” fan Mandy Liu wrote on a Facebook page created for the Keelung exhibition.

Another fan, Wu Hsien-che, wrote: “We should pray to the gods and ghosts to ensure the exhibition can go on smoothly.”

The duck burst because of rising pressure caused by rapid temperature changes. Organisers had planned to stay open past midnight in anticipation of a large New Year’s crowd.

The Central News Agency cited an eyewitness as saying the rubber bird might have fallen victim to eagles which scratched it with their claws.