One person died and two others remain trapped after a two-story building in Taichung’s Central District (中區) collapsed yesterday morning, the local Fire Bureau said.
As of press time last night, rescue work was ongoing.
The bureau said rescuers were immediately dispatched to the scene on Section 1 of Taiwan Boulevard after it received reports of the incident at 10:44am.
Photo courtesy of Taichung Fire Bureau via CNA
The building was a 100-year-old structure made of timber beams, bricks and metal roofing, the Taichung City Government said, citing a preliminary investigation.
Construction workers were digging into the foundation of an adjacent lot — the site of a house that was demolished last year — when the two-story building toppled and fell on the work site, trapping three workers under the wreckage, it said.
A man pulled from the rubble at 11:15am showed no vital signs and was pronounced dead at 12:07pm after efforts by doctors at Taichung Hospital to resuscitate him failed, the bureau added.
The man was severely injured, with bleeding in his abdomen, and bone fractures in his pelvis, hands and legs, the hospital said.
The bureau’s rescue dog team was able to find the general location of the two trapped workers, but excavators could not be utilized as they might trigger another collapse, the bureau said.
At 5pm, rescuers saw the top of the head and part of the hand of a worker amid the rubble, but the man did not respond when they called out to him, it said.
Officials from the Ministry of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Taichung Urban Development Bureau identified a number of code violations on the work site, including a lack of rebar struts.
The construction site was ordered to halt all work and pay separate fines of NT$300,000 and NT$18,000.
A Taichung district prosecutor has visited the site to investigate whether negligent homicide charges should be filed.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS