TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 40-year-old hotel in Hualien City toppled into the street during its demolition on Friday (Oct. 1), but nobody was reported injured.

The hotel had been closed since 2018, and initial fears that workers or passersby might have been buried under the rubble proved unfounded, with only three cars damaged, CNA reported. A man who had been seen riding by on a scooter as the seven-floor building collapsed was later found unharmed.

The Manbo Holiday Hotel in the center of the city, close to the railway station, toppled around 3 p.m., with a statement by the contractor reportedly blaming the unexpected destruction on the impact of recent earthquakes, cable station TVBS reported. According to its permit, the demolition should have been completed by Dec. 23.

City officials were investigating the cause of the disaster, while work on removing the rubble from the street was expected to last until at least 10 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 2).

* Correction, 2021/09/05: We incorrectly gave the name of the hotel as Hotel Mambo in the first edition of the story.