Shouldn't experts assess buildings after tremors?

SINGAPOREANS felt tremors following earthquakes off Indonesia's coast on Tuesday. High-rise buildings in the Central Business District were the most affected. They swayed slightly for 10 minutes.

Office workers started leaving the buildings even though there was no announcement of an evacuation.

Many groups of office workers were seen just above the Raffles Place MRT station. Later, most of them were seen returning to their offices after the landlord claimed that it was safe to do so. How could this be true when it takes time to physically check the structure of a 50-storey building? Should not surveyors or experts be called in to assess the condition of buildings?

Goh Wee Koon

FROM the picture I saw on the Straits Times Interactive, it appeared that the people who were evacuated from one of the Suntec City towers after the tremors were standing at the foot of the building.

Should they not have been evacuated to an open area, in view of the risk of objects falling and more tremors?

Agnes Sng Hwee Lee (Ms)
Sofia, Bulgaria