Hong Kong burns survivor travels to Taiwan to support dust party explosion victims

A survivor of the Pat Sin Leng hill fire of 1996 - which killed three school pupils and two teachers - flew to Taiwan last night to support Hongkongers caught up in Saturday's fireball at a Taipei water park.

Stanley Cheung Yun-hang's offer to help the victims face their recovery process came as a Hongkonger burned in the blaze made preparations to return.

Six Hongkongers were hurt when powder sprayed on partygoers at an amusement park in Taiwan exploded in a fireball, killing a Taiwanese woman and injuring more than 500.

Cheung suffered burns to more than 60 per cent of his body in the February 1996 fire north of Tolo Harbour, when he was just 12 years old. Five other pupils were seriously burned. Cheung was left with only one finger and one eye intact, and underwent numerous skins grafts. Treatment ran to more than 100 operations over almost six years.

He says family support has been the best medicine on his road to recovery, and he has put his traumatic experience to good use by helping run the Hong Kong Burns Association, where he shares his experience with other burn victims.

"If they see [past burn patients], they will feel more assured," Cheung says.