At least 14 people have died and 124 are missing in Taiwan's eastern Hualien county after Super Typhoon Ragasa caused a mountain barrier lake to overflow, flooding a local town. This is reported by The Guardian and Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that on Tuesday, September 23, the main impact of the стихії hit Taiwan. In the sparsely populated eastern part of the island, a barrier lake, formed by landslides due to previous heavy rains, overflowed its banks, and a wall of water rushed into the village of Guangfu.
Local residents compared the flow to a "tsunami." The water swept away cars, destroyed a bridge over the river, and flooded entire villages.
It's chaos now. The most important thing is to get people to safe places. Villages are cut off, there's mud and stones everywhere.
According to the publication, in the village, the water washed away a large road bridge over the river. The village of Dama, with a population of about 1,000 people, was flooded, and many residents are still trapped.
The military was involved in the rescue operation: 340 soldiers were sent to Hualien. They are delivering water and food in armored vehicles, as the roads are washed out. Approximately 5.2 thousand residents of Guangfu (60% of the town's population) moved to the upper floors of houses or evacuated to relatives.
Local authorities reported that the lake contained about 91 million tons of water – a volume equivalent to a large reservoir. When it broke through, almost 60 million tons spilled out.
As of 7 a.m. (Wednesday), 14 deaths and 18 injuries have been confirmed. Last night, the National Fire Agency reported 30 missing, and our teams are still searching.
The Chinese government expressed condolences to the victims, a rare gesture of goodwill from Beijing, which considers Taiwan its territory.
In Hualien County, Taiwan, 124 people remain missing.
In addition, the bad weather toppled trees, ripped roofs off buildings, and claimed the lives of at least two people as it swept through the northern Philippines, where thousands sought shelter in schools and evacuation centers.
Recall
On Tuesday, September 23, Hong Kong prepared for Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest this year, with winds up to 220 km/h. Schools and businesses were closed, hundreds of flights were canceled, and sea levels were expected to rise.
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