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Building left sharply tilted by quake in Taiwan's Hualien City to be demolished NHK

A building in Taiwan's Hualien City, which was left sharply tilted by Wednesday's deadly earthquake, is due to be demolished.

Authorities say 10 people have died and 1,099 have suffered injuries in the magnitude 7.2 quake that struck just off Taiwan's eastern coast. The officials are trying to ascertain the whereabouts of 15 others who remain unaccounted for, including four foreign nationals.

The quake damaged or destroyed 786 buildings, including a nine-story building in central Hualien City. People were temporarily trapped inside the Uranus building after the quake left it partially collapsed. One individual died.

A local expert who inspected the building says it lacked ground-floor front pillars that might have been needed to support it.

The building was erected in 1986 in accordance with quake-resistance standards that were in place before tighter criteria were enforced after a major quake in 1999. Work to tear down the building is set to start on Friday.

About 30 other buildings in the city are also believed to be in need of immediate responses, such as demolition and reinforcement. Inspectors will check the quake-resistance of such structures.

A member of a local civil engineers' group says buildings considered to be in need of urgent measures will be evacuated, assessed for quake-related risks and reinforced.
Summary
7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Taiwan's Hualien City, causing death of 10 people and injuring 1,099. Authorities are searching for 15 missing individuals, including four foreign nationals. The Uranus building, damaged in the quake, will be demolished due to lack of necessary support pillars.
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ID: 15d806da-938e-485a-9d43-3b65b77866de

Category ID: nhk

URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240405_03/

Date: April 5, 2024

Created: 2024/04/05 06:30

Updated: 2025/12/08 15:35

Last Read: 2024/04/05 18:12