Sun Tung-yin (孫同英), 22, took a risky construction job because he needed the money for school. When a powerful earthquake hit Taiwan last weekend, his high-paying, part-time job cost him his life.
Sun was one of five construction workers killed when the magnitude 6.8 quake sent two cranes at a high-rise building site plunging more than 60 floors to the ground. The five were mourned by family members and friends in a Buddhist funeral service yesterday in Taipei.
Mourners dressed in black chanted from Buddhist scriptures and monks pounded on wooden gongs as incense filled the air.
"I hope that he comes to visit me in my dreams," said Sun's grandmother, leaning on a crutch.
The quake struck last Sunday, cracking walls, shattering windows and disrupting traffic across the nation. Over 200 people reported injuries, most minor.
The most serious damage was at the construction site of the Taipei Financial Center, where Sun worked.
The building will be the world's tallest when complete, stretching over 100 floors skyward.
The quake toppled two cranes perched on top of the structure -- which now stands about 60 floors -- and sent steel rods and other debris raining down on workers and passersby.
Sun was working on the fourth floor when he was struck and killed by falling debris. Two other construction workers were crushed by cranes. Both crane operators died in the fall.
An investigation into the accident has been launched and construction work at the site has temporarily been suspended.
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"Taipei City is responsible for improving construction safety standards ... so this kind of work accident will have little chance of recurring," Ma said.
Aftershocks continue to rattle the country. Two tremors struck off the nation's east coast yesterday, the largest with a magnitude of 4.7.
Tremors frequently shake the country, but most cause little or no damage.
RSS