LINKOU, Taiwan (AP) -- Thousands gathered at a sports arena in this Taipei suburb today to mourn for the more than 2,000 people killed by Taiwan's worst earthquake in decades.
On a stage dimly lit in blue light, many of the island's top leaders one-by-one faced a 40-foot-tall memorial to the dead and bowed three times.Rows of military officials in formal uniforms watched from the stands along with lawmakers in dark suits and members of Buddhist, Taoist and Christian charity organizations.
In a brief speech to the audience of more than 6,000, President Lee Teng-hui said the Sept. 21 quake caused losses that will be difficult to recover and left a "wound in the hearts of all countrymen that will be impossible to heal."
"Many lost their homes in the earthquake. They lost their closest family members and friends," he said.
Vice President Lien Chan then spoke about the 2,312 people killed in the 7.6-magnitude tremor that devastated large parts of central Taiwan.
"Although we can't see you, we feel your presence, your eternal presence," Lien said.
"In the great quake, we lost our loved ones. It's in rebuilding that we achieve rebirth," he said.
Also today, a newspaper reported on a new study that estimated half the people killed in the quake might still be alive if builders had followed construction codes. The study, done by National Chiao Tung University's engineering department, said inspections of toppled buildings turned up persistent evidence of contractors diverging from blueprints or ignoring safe practices, the study said, according to the United Daily News.
For example, builders routinely ignored requirements that walls and supporting columns of tall buildings be constructed independently of each other, the report said. That significantly reduced their strength, causing collapses.