April 1, 2002	Monday	Muharram 17, 1423

TAIPEI, March 31: At least four people were killed and more than 200 injured in a strong earthquake which rocked Taiwan on Sunday and forced a halt to construction here of a skyscraper destined to be the world’s tallest building.

Three workers and a taxi driver were killed at the construction site of the half-completed Taipei Financial Centre when two cranes fell to the street from the 53rd floor, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou said.

Six people were critically injured at the site of the planned 100-storey building and construction was suspended, he said. Police sealed off the area.

“Construction of the building must be halted immediately until its safety was assured,” Ma told reporters after the quake, which measured 6.8 on the Ricther scale.

At a planned 508 metres, the Taipei Financial Centre was intended to be taller than the world’s tallest building, the 452-metre Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.—AFP