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Quality of 'Macau-built' structures in Yaan under scrutiny

Large cracks were seen on the exterior of the Ling Guan Secondary School in Sichuan province’s Baoxing county, near the epicentre of the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck the region on Saturday morning, killing at least 192 people.

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A damaged wall inside the Lingguan Secondary School in Yaan city, Baoxing county, Sichuan. Photo: Screenshot via Chinanews.com

A Sichuan school rebuilt after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake with funding from the Macau government has sparked quality concerns after tremors from Saturday’s Yaan earthquake inflicted “serious damage” on it.

Large cracks were seen on the exterior of the Lingguan Secondary School in Sichuan province’s Baoxing county, near the epicentre of the magnitude -7.0 earthquake that struck the region on Saturday morning which killed at least 192 people.

Damage to the school’s interior from the 20-second quake was worse - with door frames “deformed” and large holes appearing in classroom walls.

Lusha County People's Hospital, built with help from Macau. Photo: Sreenshot via Sina Weibo
Lusha County People's Hospital, built with help from Macau. Photo: Sreenshot via Sina Weibo
The campus of the Ling Guan Secondary School was built five years ago after the original school building - built in 1958 - collapsed from the deadly 8.0 earthquake in May 2008, news portal Chinanews.com reported on Monday.

Construction of the building was funded by the Macau government as shown on a sign hanging outside the school.

While netizens were quick to question Macau’s reconstruction efforts, many internet users stressed the structural resilience of the Lushan County’s People’s Hospital - also built by Macau. A photo of the building surfacing on weibo showed, other than a few broken windows, a relatively unscathed building despite being at the epicentre of the quake.

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