Relatives, religious leaders and government officials attend a memorial for the victims of the collapsed building complex caused by an earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan, Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. The 16-story Weiguan Golden Dragon complex was the only building to collapse during Saturday’s magnitude-6.4 earthquake, which otherwise caused limited damage in the southern city of Tainan. AP
TAINAN, Taiwan — Taiwanese leaders and relatives have held a memorial service for victims of last weekend’s earthquake that claimed at least 94 lives.
President Ma Ying-jeou and president-elect Tsai Ing-wen attended the Friday ceremony, offering flowers and shaking hands with relatives and Buddhist monks before leaving without making any public remarks. Family members lit incense and bowed before the victims’ photographs, arranged in rows.
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Friday marks the seventh day since the earthquake and a day of special mourning, according to traditional Chinese funeral rituals.
Most of the dead were residents at the Weiguan Golden Dragon apartment complex that collapsed during the tremors. Taiwan’s Interior Ministry says as many as 41 people are still missing and presumed trapped under the rubble.
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