Taipei City Government

Director Yu Chi-hsueh of the Construction Management Office (CMO) reported that a vast sinkhole opened up next to a construction site in Xinyi District at 3:13 PM on May 13. The agency dispatched workers to assess the damages upon receiving the report.

Initial inspection revealed that workers at the site were carrying out the construction of the basement floors. However, a water seepage through the diaphragm wall into the foundation resulted in a sinkhole on a neighboring road.

City officials instructed the construction company to perform backfill grout injection into the collapsed area as an emergency mitigation measure. Methods such as sand-filling is also required for areas within the foundation to keep the water pressure balanced. As of 11 PM, the refilling of the sinkhole has been completed, while sand-filling work at the foundation area continues.

Currently, people residing in the immediate area of the sinkhole (a total of ten individuals living in buildings number 12 through 24 on Chongde Street Lane 60) have been evacuated and relocated to hotels for temporary shelter. The construction company and the architect of the building project were each fined NT$90,000.

In light of the sinkhole incident, Mayor Chiang Wan-an has ordered a thorough review of all construction sites in Taipei City. Staff members from the associations of civil engineering and structural technician have been assigned to conducting safety inspection at 102 sites, with completion expected within the week. In the situation where there are safety concerns, the site in question will be ordered to suspend operations.