Deadly flood crashes through Taiwan’s Hualien county as barrier lake bursts its banks as typhoon continues its path
Deadly flood crashes through Taiwan’s Hualien county as barrier lake bursts its banks as typhoon continues its path
The bursting of a barrier lake in Taiwan has killed at least 14 people and left dozens missing, officials have announced, after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded the island with torrential rains, bringing widespread damage to parts of east Asia.
The outer rim of Super Typhoon Ragasa has been bearing down on Taiwan since Monday as its path moves down towards the southern Chinese coast.
The barrier lake, formed by landslides triggered by earlier heavy rain in Taiwan’s east, burst its banks mid-afternoon on Tuesday, sending a wall of water into the Guangfu township.
“As of 7 am [Wednesday], 14 people are confirmed dead and 18 were reported injured,” said Lee Kuan-ting, a Hualien county government press official.
“Thirty missing was the figure last night, released by the National Fire Agency, and our teams are still searching,” he added.
Ragasa had already toppled trees, torn the roofs off buildings and killed at least two people while ripping through the northern Philippines, where thousands sought shelter in schools and evacuation centres.
