Taiwan developer in custody after deadly quake fells building

The developer of a Taiwan apartment complex that collapsed during a strong earthquake this weekend was arrested as rescuers reported hearing signs of life from the rubble where some 100 people are still trapped. Lin Ming-hui, the Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building’s developer, and two men from his management team are being held without bail on suspicion of negligent homicide while the authorities finish their investigation, the Tainan District Court said in a statement.

It would cause huge risks for our citizens should any earthquake of the same scale hit the Taipei area.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je

Prosecutors launched an investigation into Saturday’s disaster after photos showed cans and foam had been used to fill parts of the complex’s concrete framework. The Wei-guan Golden Dragon, completed in 1994, was the only major high-rise building in the city of 2 million people to completely collapse. Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly hit by earthquakes. The weekend quake struck two days before Lunar New Year — when many people would have been visiting relatives for the biggest celebration of the Chinese calendar — killing at least 39 people.

Taiwan arrest