File photo of a damaged residential building is seen after an earthquake hit Hualien, Taiwan February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Prosecutors in eastern Taiwan have detained the developer of a building complex that collapsed in an earthquake earlier this month, killing 14 people.
The office of the Hualien district prosecutor said in a statement Tuesday that Liu Ying-lin was ordered held over concerns he was seeking to duck responsibility and could collude with others or tamper with evidence and witnesses.
It said Liu was unqualified to undertake such a project and that the 12-story Yun Men Tsui Ti mixed commercial-residential complex was built far below basic standards for withstanding an earthquake.
The building's architect and the operators of a hot pot restaurant and hotel in the building were released on bail.
A total of 17 people were killed in buildings that partially collapsed in the Feb. 6 magnitude 6.4 earthquake.
