More Hualien buildings found partially collapsed after quakes

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) A defunct two-story factory and a residential building that both had been marked as structurally unsafe each partially collapsed after a string of earthquakes jolted Hualien County early Tuesday, but no one was injured.

The factory building located on Ziqiang Road in Ji-an Township just outside Hualien City was vacant, Teng Zeu-yu (鄧子榆), head of the county's Economic Affairs Department, told CNA.

It had been assessed as structurally unsafe by local officials following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Hualien on April 3, and when its first floor collapsed Tuesday, it damaged two adjacent buildings housing a steak restaurant and warehouse, Teng said.

The unused factory will soon be torn down and its water and power supplies cut, Teng said, and officials will assess in the near future whether or not to demolish the two other affected buildings.

The residential building in Shoufeng Township, meanwhile, also had two floors but its lower floor collapsed during Tuesday's quakes.

According to the Hualien County government, the many quakes Tuesday morning have so far left four buildings, including the Full Hotel on Zhongshan Road and the Tong Shuai building, partially collapsed or tilted. No injuries have been reported.

The quakes also left an estimated 100 households in a village in Shoufeng Township without electricity.

Full Hotel had been undergoing a renovation while the unoccupied Tong Shuai building was already marked for demolition following the April 3 earthquake.

The county expects to demolish both buildings to prevent the risk of further collapse, Teng said, and he hoped that the work can be carried out at the same time.

Tearing down the two buildings should take two weeks, he said.