(Hualien) At the foot of the dangerously leaning glass building, a crane began its demolition work on Friday in Hualien, the epicenter of the powerful Taiwanese earthquake.
As is tradition in Taiwan, fruits, flowers and incense were laid out as offerings for the demolition ceremony of the “Uranus” building, erected nearly 40 years ago in the center of the coastal city.
The 10-story building became emblematic of Wednesday’s earthquake, Taiwan’s most powerful in 25 years. It is leaning at 45 degrees since half of its first floor collapsed under the effect of the magnitude 7 tremor.
On Friday, authorities announced they would begin dismantling it.
But first they prepared an offering table in front of the collapsed building to ensure a smooth demolition and to “soothe the lost souls” of those killed in the earthquake.
“We offer sacrifices and pray to bless the demolition work of the Uranus building,” says a voice over the loudspeaker.
Chips, instant noodles, bottles of soda and folded notes for the dead were placed next to baskets of flowers and a container of incense sticks.
Traditional cultural rites such as blessing a new house or making offerings to spirits after purchasing land are common in Taiwan.
“Return to a normal life”
Hualien County Chief Hsu Chen-wei and other officials wearing construction vests bow to the sagging building.
Each lights a stick of Joss paper, printed with various earthly representations and traditionally burned during ceremonies intended to honor ancestors or divinity.
PHOTO I-HWA CHENG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The Uranus building is leaning 45 degrees since half of its first floor collapsed under the effect of the magnitude 7 tremor.
Then a pink crane begins to break the glass covering the “Uranus” building, revealing the interior brick facade as the rain begins to fall.
“We hope to complete the demolition within two weeks so that Hualien residents can return to their normal lives,” Hsu Chen-wei later told reporters.
“The Uranus was built in 1986. All structures age with time, earthquakes and many other factors,” explains the local manager.
She hopes that the population will not relive the “panic situation” experienced during the earthquake.
But around 1 p.m., a major aftershock shook the city of Hualien, to the point of worrying the construction team: the building seemed to be leaning more and more dangerously forward.
Workers then sped up the process and began inserting giant metal bars to stabilize the structure.
Inside an upper floor, AFP could see a piano lying on its side, surrounded by debris from an apartment damaged by the earthquake.
To date, the earthquake has left at least 10 dead and more than 1,100 injured. Hundreds of people remain stranded around Taroko National Park, a mountain range with deep gorges whose access roads have been blocked by rockfalls and landslides.
Rescue teams were mobilized across Taiwan, deploying helicopters, drones and foot teams accompanied by dogs to search for the missing.
“Rescuers are not giving up and are continuing their search in the mountains for earthquake survivors,” Taiwan Vice President-designate Hsiao Bi-khim said, calling them “true heroes of a Taiwan resilient “.