A 6.7 earthquake struck south of Taiwan early this morning. I know we have a few taiwan posters here...hope they are alright... prayers to the victims and families affected!
Big earthquake in Southern Taiwan. It would suck to wake up at 4AM in the morning for that. Fortunately, it appears casualties are limited so far.
The reports I'm seeing is that 11 dead 475 injured and over a 100 are missing. A 17 story building is collapsed. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/06/asia/taiwan-earthquake/index.html For those not familiar with Taiwan the earthquake struck near Tainan the second largest city and is located in the south of Taiwan while Taipei is in the north.
Sad but I'm not surprised. Substandard construction is a big contributor to deaths during a disasters. I do a code compliance in my work and frequently grumble and tangle with code officials but this is a reminder that building codes are important. Check out the pics of oil cans being used for fill in the walls and slabs. http://www.durabilityanddesign.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=14419 Arrests Follow Collapse of Taiwan Building he developers of a collapsed two-decade-old apartment building in Taiwan have been taken into custody as questions regarding construction materials used within the structure have surfaced. According to various news reports, the Golden Dragon residential complex was the sole high-rise building that collapsed following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Saturday (Feb. 6) in Tainan. Ten other smaller structures were damaged in the quake, reports relate. Death Toll to Climb As many as 40 people were killed, while 320 people have been rescued, according to the Associated Press, citing the city government. A majority of those deaths were residents of the Golden Dragon. Those figures are expected to climb; as many as 100 could still be trapped inside the building’s thousands of pounds of debris, reports relate. Crews were still scouring the rubble to search for signs of life as of early Tuesday (Feb. 9) morning. Execs Arrested Meanwhile, Taiwan media outlets reported Tuesday that three of the former executives of the now-defunct developer Weiguan Company, have been arrested, as prosecutors investigate allegations of shoddy construction work. Reporters and witnesses at the scene reported that large, commercial aluminum cans appear to have been used as a building material, packed inside wall cavities of the 17-story building. Numerous images showing concrete pillars filled with brightly colored cans have been circulating the web since Saturday. Some experts have argued that the use of aluminum cans in the construction had nothing to do with the structural integrity of the building and their usage was not necessarily illegal at the time of construction. Prosecutors have arrested former Weiguan Chairman Lin Ming-hui and two of his associates. Reports note murder charges caused by professional negligence are possible. Lin reportedly had started another company under a different name after filing for bankruptcy upon completion of the Golden Dragon complex in 1994. Investigation Launched Officials have launched an official investigation into the collapse, the Tainan Mayor William Lai told media outlets. Three teams of civil engineers are reportedly leading the probe. “When it’s completed, we’ll punish those who should be held accountable,” the mayor said.
