Construction work on the central Taichung City’s first metro line has been suspended after a fatal incident.
In the accident that occurred Friday afternoon, a 43-meter-long, 209-ton steel girder fell from a height of about three stories onto busy roads, crushing a motorist in her car and killing three workers. Three other workers were injured.
A preliminary finding stated the incident was caused by “human error”. At a press conference Saturday, Deputy Taipei Mayor Charles Lin said the Taipei City government will take full responsibility for the incident. This is because the Department of Rapid Transit Systems under the Taipei City Government is in charge of the construction of the metro line in Taichung. Lin also promised to make public a review of the incident and offered full compensation to the victims’ families.
The construction of Taichung’s first metro line began in 2009. Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung, who was elected last November, has recently ordered the completion date to be moved forward from 2020 to 2018.