Taiwan quake prompts calls for safety overhaul

TAIPEI — While rescuers continue the grim task of digging bodies from the rubble of an apartment complex that collapsed in a Taiwan earthquake over the weekend, anger is growing over the shoddy construction of the building and the island’s questionable safety record.

The apartment complex, Wei-Guan Golden Dragon, was the only high-rise to crumble completely in the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that shook the southern city of Tainan before dawn last Saturday, with 55 confirmed dead so far, mostly residents from the complex. More than 80 residents remain buried in the ruins and the chances of finding survivors are slim.

Prosecutors say there were “flaws” in the building as they question the developer and two associates on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

Experts say that cost-cutting shortcuts have long dogged the construction industry in Taiwan.

“Because of competition, for a long period of time the local construction industry has not been well managed,” said Dr Chern Jenn-chuan, a civil engineering professor at National Taiwan University.

The catastrophe has struck a nerve with the public, increasingly embittered by a string of disasters, from food safety scandals to a water park explosion that left 15 dead.

“So-called competitiveness in Taiwan is all cost-oriented, so this kind of situation isn’t a surprise at all,” read a post on Taiwan’s popular PTT online forum after the building’s collapse.

“They just collect the money and it’s not their responsibility any more,” commented another user.

Prosecutors said there were too few steel reinforcing bars in parts of the building, and that the developer may have used a borrowed licence for the construction of the property.

The Wei-Guan Golden Dragon was completed in 1994, before a new building code was brought in following a devastating earthquake that left 2,400 people dead in 1999.

Dr Chern said the 1999 disaster, which brought down buildings across the island, had led to better safety measures and awareness among developers.

“Many people now understand the grave responsibilities,” he told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that the number of safety breaches had dropped.

The revised building code put in stricter requirements to make structures more quake-proof, including increasing the number and resilience of reinforcing bars.

But the former president of the Taiwan Engineering and Science Association, Max Lo, says while newer buildings are structurally sound, not enough has been done about the ones built before 1999.

“Each county had identified the most notable at-risk buildings in its area, but they still haven’t all been dealt with,” he told AFP.

“Just because a building doesn’t collapse after a quake, that doesn’t mean it’s okay.

“It needs regular check-ups, like a human body. The government needs a complete set of policies to deal with such older, or higher-risk buildings as soon as possible.”

The island’s President-elect, Tsai Ing-wen, who will take office in May, said that she would prioritise building safety and review the resistance of older buildings to quakes and other disasters.

Meanwhile, the public is calling for maximum punishment for the developers — particularly after scepticism over previous safety scandal cases.

Last year, food tycoon Wei Ying-chung was acquitted on charges of selling tainted cooking oil, prompting protests over his release.

“I hope these black-hearted developers all get death sentences,” said one PTT forum user in response to the Wei-Guan Golden Dragon disaster.

“They killed so many people just for the sake of making money.” AFP