Hualien: Fourteen people are dead and 129 are missing in a popular tourist region of Taiwan after a barrier lake burst its banks and swallowed a town during one of the worst typhoons to hit Asia in years.
Taiwan has been lashed since Monday by the outer rim of Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is now hitting China’s southern coast after also hitting the Asian financial hub of Hong Kong, where fierce winds woke residents and waves taller than lamp posts crashed over the city’s promenades.
In Hualien, one of Taiwan’s top tourism drawcards known for its natural beauty, a barrier lake burst its banks on Tuesday afternoon to send a wall of water into the township of Guangfu, turning roads into churning rivers that carried vehicles and furniture away.
The water hit like a “tsunami”, Guangfu postman Hsieh Chien-tung said, though he was able to flee to the second floor of the post office just in time. Later, he got home to find his car had been swept into the living room.
Fire officials said all the dead and missing were in Guangfu, where the waters also swept away a major road bridge across a river. Regions across Taiwan have dispatched rescue teams, with the military sending 340 troops to help.
Strong waves crash against the waterfront in Hong Kong’s Heng Fa Chuen area as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches the city.Credit: AP
Waves crash over a promenade in Hong Kong.Credit: Bloomberg
The government estimated the barrier lake contained 91 million tonnes of water, enough to fill about 36,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The lake overflowed to release about 60 million tonnes of water, the government said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office offered condolences in a rare sign of goodwill from Beijing, which has a deep dislike of Taipei’s government. China views Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island’s democratically elected government.
