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Quake reveals shoddy buildings

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SCMP Reporter

The earthquake in Jiangxi province last weekend exposed more cracks in levees on the Jiujiang section of the Yangtze River, seven years after then premier Zhu Rongji criticised such substandard flood prevention works as 'bean curd' construction.

A national emergency response team dealing with the quake's aftermath has also found evidence of shoddy construction in dozens of quake-rattled public buildings in Ruichang , the epicentre of the quake.

The team checked 19 hospitals and 25 schools in Ruichang, following last Saturday's quake, which measured 5.7 on the Richter scale, and found that fewer than half the school buildings were safe, Xinhua reported.

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About 70 per cent of hospital buildings were still safe to use.

Thousands of houses were also seriously damaged by the tremor and aftershocks.

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In one part of Ruichang, near the Chiwu Shopping Centre, cracks appeared in more than 20 buildings built just seven years ago.

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