Suggesting that sudden strong gusts of wind might have been behind the collapse of scaffolding at the Splendor Hotel (台中金典酒店) in Greater Taichung on Friday night, a Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) official yesterday said the true cause of the accident could not be ascertained until the completion of an investigation report, which is slated to be released tomorrow.
A large amount of scaffolding, which was erected along the facade of the five-star hotel for remodeling work, collapsed on Friday at 6:45pm. About 60 tonnes of scaffolding fell on both Jiansing Road and Taichung Harbor Road — the intersection on which the hotel is located — in the city’s West District (西區), injuring 12 people and damaging 22 vehicles.
Among the injured, a woman surnamed Tseng (曾), 45, was still in critical condition as of press time.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
Lin Chin-chi (林進基), the head of the labor inspection department at the council, said yesterday that inspection officials had examined the site and that an investigation report is scheduled to be released tomorrow.
Initial assessments suggested that a sudden strong gust of wind at that time might have been the cause of the collapse, he said.
Lin said the Splendor Hotel would shoulder the responsibility if the process of the remodeling work is found to not have met construction standards.
Taichung Deputy Mayor Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) said the hotel had applied to remodel the bottom 10 floors of the hotel, adding that the Greater Taichung Government has since suspended construction work.
Yesterday morning, the city removed the collapsed scaffolding and traffic in the area could proceed as normal.
Splendor Hotel general manager Chen Yueh-feng (陳月鳳) said the hotel would take full responsibility and compensate all losses from the accident.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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