The fifth and sixth floors of a six-story residential building on Jhongsing Street in Taichung’s Cingshuei District (清水) partially collapsed yesterday, with no injuries or deaths.
Taichung Police Department’s Cingshuei Precinct yesterday said that all 34 residents of 13 households were evacuated from the building and 26 of them were placed in hotels.
Cingshuei District’s Sining Borough (西寧) Warden Wang Ching-yuan (王慶源) said the 48-year-old building was co-constructed by the landowner and a construction company, but the construction was not completed due to the company’s financial troubles and eventual closure.
Photo: CNA
The fifth and sixth floors have been left bare since then, while the rest of the building was rented out at low cost, mostly to disadvantaged, low-income households, with most residents living on the second and third floors, he said.
A resident surnamed Shih (石) yesterday said most tenants have lived there for 30 to 40 years and her landlord charges as little as NT$4,000 in rent due to the building’s poor condition.
Taichung Urban Development Bureau Director Lee Cheng-wei (李正偉) said the building’s owner would face penalties under the Building Act (建築法) for failing to report the structure’s condition, neglecting to have it designated as a dangerous building and not taking necessary protective measures.
Taichung Architects Association chairman Yu Cheng-tsung (虞承宗) said initial evaluation showed that a lack of maintenance likely caused the concrete to carbonize and the steel rebar to rust, which led to the collapse.
Further assessments of structural safety are required and redevelopment is strongly recommended given the building’s age, he said.
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