Ethics Newsline®

TAIPEI
Taiwanese authorities made their first arrest last week in their investigation of what they charge is shoddy construction that contributed to the collapse of thousands of buildings in last week’s devastating earthquake.

The government arrested building contractor Liu Tai-han, whose residential high-rise collapsed in the quake, on charges of breaking Taiwan’s building codes, the BBC reported.

Government investigators have questioned hundreds of contractors, architects, and engineers in an attempt to discern their culpability and the extent of substandard construction.

More than 2,100 people died in last week’s quake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, according to the BBC.

Earlier this month, Turkish authorities began a similar investigation into the construction industry after a temblor leveled thousands of buildings, many of which failed to meet Turkish construction codes.