The bursting of a barrier lake in Taiwan’s eastern Hualien County has killed at least 14 people, officials said Wednesday, as rescue teams continued operations after Super Typhoon Ragasa unleashed torrential rains across the island.“As of 7 am (Wednesday), 14 people are confirmed dead and 18 were reported injured,” Lee Kuan-ting, a Hualien County Government press official told AFP. “Thirty missing was the figure last night, released by the National Fire Agency, and our teams are still searching,” he added.The disaster struck Tuesday afternoon when the decades-old barrier lake on the upper Mataian Creek, formed by an earlier landslide, burst under the force of heavy rainfall. The floodwaters washed away a bridge and inundated a nearby town, trapping more than 260 people.“In some places, water temporarily rose as high as the second floor of a house and was about one floor in the town centre, where the water has been receding,” Lee Lung-sheng, deputy chief of Hualien County Fire Department, told AFP. “About 263 people were trapped and moved up to higher ground when the river suddenly rose. They are not in immediate danger, but they are very worried about the high water.” Authorities said the stranded residents were asked to remain in place until waters receded. Two people were initially reported missing, and search operations are still ongoing.Footage released by Taiwan’s National Fire Agency showed flooded streets, submerged vehicles and uprooted trees in Hualien County. Across Taiwan, more than 7,600 people were evacuated due to the typhoon, including 3,100 residents moved beforehand near the creek area.Super Typhoon Ragasa had earlier battered the northern Philippines before hitting Taiwan, forcing thousands from their homes with strong winds and relentless downpours. Taiwan, which lies in the path of frequent tropical storms from July to October, faced a similar disaster in July when Typhoon Danas killed two people and injured hundreds after dumping more than 20 inches of rain across the south.
