Young couple die hugging during disastrous Taiwan earthquake
NEWS AGENCIES
Pic shows: Rescue operations at the collapsed Weiguan Jinlong residential building.
A young Taiwanese couple has joined the list of victims who have died as a result of a devastating earthquake which struck less than a week ago.
With rescue operations into their fifth day since the quake struck on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the couple were found dead in each other’s embrace as they were buried by rubble from a collapsing building.
The bodies of Tsai Meng-chia and his girlfriend Huang Ruo-hsin, both just 21, were found by rescuers on what used to be the 15th storey of the Weiguan Jinlong residential building, which collapsed after the magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Taiwan’s south-western Tainan City.
The pair are now amongst the 55 people confirmed dead by Taiwan’s National Fire Agency, while more than 80 are still believed to be trapped in the rubble of the 16-storey complex.
Tsai and Huang, who both attended Tainan’s Kun Shan University, studying electrical engineering and fashion design, respectively, had been known by their friends as having a loving relationship.
Taiwanese media reported that Tsai most likely "protected" Huang with his own body as their building crumbled under the force of the quake, which has claimed the most number of lives in Taiwan since a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit central Nantou County on September 21, 1999, in which 2,415 people were killed and more than 11,000 were injured.
The heartbreaking images of the couple’s bodies being removed from the rubble have also strengthened public resolve to see the former contractors of the Weiguan Jinlong building punished for allegedly using sub standard material including tin cans during the construction of the building.
Three arrests have been made so far, with authorities detaining the former developer, as well as two executives of the construction company.
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A young couple who died during the devastating Taiwan earthquake on New Year’s Eve were found in each other’s arms by rescuers.
Tsai Meng-chia and his girlfriend Huang Ruo-hsin, both just 21, were found beneath the rubble of a residential building that collapsed during the magnitude 6.4 earthquake on New Year’s Eve. Reports suggest that Tsai was covering his girlfriend in a desperate act of protection as the 16-storey building collapsed around them.
Another 80 people are still thought to be trapped inside.
The pair are now amongst the 55 people confirmed dead from the quake, that struck Taiwan’s south-western Tainan City.
Friends of the couple, who both attended Tainan’s Kun Shan University, said they had a loving relationship.
Public reaction to the images have been emotive, with people the demanding former contractors of the Weiguan Jinlong building be punished for allegedly using sub-standard material including tin cans during its construction.
Three arrests have been made so far, with authorities detaining the former developer, as well as two executives of the company.
