At least 14 people died and 30 are missing after the rupture of a natural dike formed in a river for a landslide in eastern Taiwan, local authorities announced on Wednesday, September 24.
This break, which happened on Tuesday when the Super Typhon Ragasa hit the island, released the waters of a lake that had formed at the top of the Mataian River, taking a bridge, flooding a neighboring city and catching hundreds of people.
“On Wednesday at 7 am, the results are 14 deaths and 18 injured,” said Lee Kuan-Ting, Hualien County Press Secretary. About 124 people are missing according to the island’s fire agency.
More than 7,600 evacuated people
“It was like an eruption volcano … The muddy waters of the flood arrived directly on the first floor of my house,” said Hsu Cheng-Hsiung, 55, a representative of the AFP neighborhood.
“As a disaster film” supports Yen Shau, a 31 -year -old resident.
He specifies that one hour before the dike broke, many people were shopping. “In a few minutes, the water went up on the first floor,” he said. More than 7,600 people were evacuated throughout the island.
Taiwan regularly faces typhoons between July and October. Climate change, however, increases its intensity, with strong rainfall, sudden floods and powerful bursts of wind, according to scientists.
Source: BFM TV
