Earthquakes typically don't kill people; manmade structures falling on people typically kill people. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/08/28/pope-francis-pledges-visit-quake-devastation/89506686/
Close to home, the Paul S. Sarbanes (Silver Spring MD) Transit Center is a classic example of failures in new construction. The report commissioned by Montgomery County MD documents this: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DGS-BDC/Resources/Files/SS/509974/SSTC-Report-March-15-2013.pdf .
While the report provides many reasons for the construction failures, perhaps the main reason is that the construction manager of record, Montgomery County, failed to adequately monitor the poor construction as it occurred. As a result, the finished construction contains numerous known flaws (besides many that likely remain hidden), the majority of which are uncorrectable, short of demolition.
