Interior Minister Chen Wei-zen is calling for disease prevention measures at the site of a collapsed building in the southern city of Tainan. The call came as the search for victims entered day six, following last Saturday's magnitude 6.4 earthquake. As of Thursday night (local time), 61 are confirmed dead.
With scattered showers in the forecast for Tainan, Interior Minister Chen called on workers to cover the rubble cleared from the building with canvas sheets. That's to prevent it from causing further injury before it can be moved to another site.
Chen also called on the Environmental Protection Administration and the health ministry to help with disinfectant and disease prevention measures. He said that was of particular concern considering the likelihood that there are deceased victims still trapped in the rubble.
Meanwhile, Chen called on the Construction and Planning Agency to provide the public with information on how to conduct safety inspections on the building in which they live. That’s after authorities suspected that the complex collapsed due to shoddy construction.