Taiwan developer detained over deadly quake building collapse

Taipei

THE developer of a building in Taiwan that partially collapsed during an earthquake has been detained for negligent manslaughter with prosecutors saying the man was not licensed to oversee construction projects.

The lower floors of the 12-storey Yun Tsui residential building - which also housed a restaurant and hotel - pancaked when a 6.4-magnitude quake struck the tourist hotspot of Hualien on Feb 6. A total of 17 people died across the eastern coastal town, 14 of them in the Yun Tsui building. The toll included a Chinese couple from Beijing whose crushed bodies were only retrieved this week.