Taiwan quake collapse linked to shoddy materials as death toll in Tainan rises
Search goes on for missing in southern city amid reports that collapsed high-rise had tins and Styrofoam used as filler in wall beams
Taiwanese authorities are to launch an investigation into the construction materials used in a high-rise residential building that collapsed after a deadly earthquake struck the island’s southern city of Tainan just before dawn on Saturday.
At least 13 people, including a 10-day-old girl, were killed and 484 others injured after the shallow, magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck the south of the island, triggering the dramatic collapse of the building while neighbouring properties showed little damage.
“We will come to this issue shortly after we complete our rescue operation, which is still the first priority at the moment,” Tainan Mayor Lai Ching-te said.
Eleven residents of the building were killed by the quake, while two other people in the city died after being hit by falling debris.
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Local media reported that shoddy building materials, including empty tins and Styrofoam used as filler in wall beams, could be one reason why the 16-storey Wei Guan residential block – which included a care centre for newborns – collapsed so easily.
