Tue, Apr 02, 2002 page1

• Probe into quake damage starts

  NEGLIGENCE? Prosecutors are attempting to determine whether carelessness contributed to the deaths of five construction workers in Taipei during Sunday's quake

  • By Sandy Huang / STAFF REPORTER
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  Investigators from the Taipei Prosecutors' Office visited the construction site of the Taipei Financial Center yesterday, where five workers died after Sunday's earthquake.

  Prosecutors are attempting to determine whether negligence contributed to the workers' deaths.

  Sunday's quake -- which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale at its epicenter outside Hualien -- shook loose two massive cranes perched atop the 56th floor of what is to be a 101-story skyscraper.

  

  With the help of rescue workers, a resident of the building on Taipei City's Chengte Road, which partially collapsed during Sunday's earthquake, retrieves an ancestral shrine tablet from her house yesterday.

  PHOTO: SUNG CHIH-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Two crane operators died. Three others fell or were struck by pieces of the crane and other falling debris.

  The temblor registered 5 on the Richter scale in Taipei, where most of the damage occurred.

  "More details will be available after we've studied the information we gathered during our inspection," prosecutor Lo Jung-chien (羅榮乾) said.

  

  Demolition crews move in to dismantle the building on Chengte Road tilted by Sunday's earthquake. The building was stabilized and residents allowed to retrieve their valuables before demolition began.

  PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Lo inspected the building -- which is expected to be the tallest in the world when completed in 2004 -- floor by floor with prosecutors Cheng Ti-sheng (鄭堤升) and Chen Chung-yen (陳重言) yesterday.

  Lo said they were unable to reach the 56th floor because no stairs were available.

  "Construction work will be on hold until thorough safety inspections are completed," Lo said.

  Work on the building was originally scheduled to be completed by late next year, but construction has been delayed due to several safety concerns, including the tower's close proximity to a nearby fault line.

  Among the quake's victims were crane operators Chen Yu-chen (陳又禎) and Chen Hsin (陳信陽).

  Construction workers Chen Jin-shuei (陳錦水) and Lin Chien-cheng (林建成) were believed to have been struck by one of the cranes as it fell.

  "One second my brother [Lin] was working right next to me on the 52nd floor," said Lin Chien-yu (林見佑). "The next second, I saw him fall right before my eyes. ... We were planning to celebrate his birthday, which is today."

  Sun Tung-yin (孫同英), a student at National Taipei University of Technology and a part-time construction worker, was on the fourth floor at the time of the quake. Sun was struck by falling debris.

  Lu Qiou-long (盧秋隆), the taxi driver whose cab was crushed by one of the falling cranes, was listed in stable condition at Taipei Medical University Hospital yesterday. An international news agency erroneously reported that Lu had been killed.

  Also yesterday, investigators from the Shihlin Prosecutors' Office visited a four-story apartment building on Chengte Road. Sunday's quake left the building partially collapsed and jutting out dangerously toward the street.

  Shihlin prosecutor Chen Kuo-ming (陳國鳴) said investigators would look into whether negligence contributed to the collapse.

  Seven residents were trapped in the building for three hours after the quake. None of their injuries were said to be serious.

  "We want to find out why this building was seriously damaged while surrounding buildings stood through the quake just fine," Chen said. "We will determine the cause [of the collapse] and see if any oversight was involved after we study the information we gathered during the inspection [yesterday]."

  The Taipei City government has ordered the building torn down within the next two days.

  Meanwhile, eight-year old Kao Pong-chieh (高鵬傑) remained in critical condition as of press time yesterday. Kao was struck by falling bricks on the Central Cross-Island Highway while sitting inside his parents' car.

  "We see signs of improvement, though he's still in a coma," Chang Yu-lin (張玉麟), a doctor at the Tz'u Chi Buddhist General Hospital, said yesterday. "We'll continue to keep a close eye on him."
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