The earthquake that struck southern Taiwan on Feb. 6 caused eight buildings to collapse in Tainan and tilted five other buildings, killing a total of 116 people. Most of the victims died in the Weiguan Jinlong complex in the Yongkang District (永康), the collapse of which exposed both the immorality of some property developers and the authorities’ careless attitude toward monitoring the nation’s construction industry. The disaster was both natural and of human origin.
A structural engineer was quoted as saying that the extensive damage was not caused by the quake, but rather by corrupt practices and negligence in the oversight of the construction industry. When an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 causes a 17-story complex to topple, revealing that empty cans were used to fill in supporting columns and polystyrene foam had been mixed into the concrete, it is difficult not to wonder how much corruption was involved in the design, construction, supervision and approval of the project.
Lin Ming-hui (林明輝), the developer of the complex, has a history of changing names, registering new companies and using licenses issued for other construction firms. He has been registering a new company for each project he undertook, only to close them down after each was completed, and changing his name before moving on to the next project. Lin was able to conduct business in this manner for a long time due to the apparent negligence of the National Architects’ Association and the authorities assigned to supervise the industry. This is an issue that must be addressed.
It was discovered that only half the designated amount of reinforced steel beams were used in the construction of the complex, which explains its weak structural integrity. In a properly constructed building, occupants are more likely to be able to escape alive even if the structure topples over.
However, the complex crumbled, burying many people alive. This made it more difficult for rescue workers to reach victims, and although the central government and Tainan City Government mobilized all the resources in the nation, 116 people died.
The structural integrity of the complex was inferior to begin with and some residents are said to have removed supporting walls, columns and beams, further compromising the structural integrity. This seems to have concerned no one, although such changes should be strictly regulated.
The developer said that he spent large sums of money hosting officials from the Office of Building Standards to “organize things.”
Disasters like this are only possible when corrupt developers and corrupt officials work together. Contacts between Lin and all the officials he “organized” must be pursued and those responsible must be brought to justice.
Immoral food producers might harm people with unhealthy products, but at least their victims usually do not die — at least not immediately. However, when a property developer builds an inferior structure such as the Weiguan Jinlong complex, scores of people can be killed. The deaths of the 114 people in the complex are a reminder of the importance of construction management and oversight. Taiwanese must learn from this disaster and review building safety regulations and construction management, as well as the legal system and its enforcement. These are necessary to prevent collusion between developers and officials. If this is not done, similar disasters will occur.
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