At least 14 people have been confirmed dead and 152 others reported missing after a decades-old barrier lake collapsed in eastern Taiwan, officials said on Wednesday, following torrential rains unleashed by Super Typhoon Ragasa.
The natural lake in Hualien County, created by landslides that formed a dam wall decades ago, burst on Tuesday, sending torrents of mud and floodwaters crashing into Kuang Fu township.
The surge swept away a bridge, submerged streets, and inundated homes with thick sludge.
“It was like a volcano erupting… the muddy floodwaters came roaring straight into the first floor of my house,” said 55-year-old neighbourhood leader Hsu Cheng-hsiung.
Authorities confirmed that 18 people were also injured. Premier Cho Jung-tai, who visited the devastated area on Wednesday, expressed condolences and vowed government support for victims.
“As for the 14 people who lost their lives, we must find out why evacuation orders were not carried out in the affected area, leading to such a tragedy,” Cho said. “We still have more than a hundred people missing, and this is our greatest concern right now.”
The National Fire Agency reported that at least 152 people remain unaccounted for in Hualien and other parts of Taiwan.
Residents described the sudden deluge as overwhelming. “It was a disaster movie,” said 31-year-old Yen Shau. “Within minutes, the water had risen to halfway up the first floor. The mud was just too deep, too deep to dig out.”
Drone footage released by emergency officials showed half-submerged cars, flooded streets, and uprooted trees. Authorities said more than 7,600 people were evacuated across Taiwan in response to Typhoon Ragasa.
Taiwan is regularly battered by tropical storms between July and October. Just months earlier, Typhoon Danas killed two people and injured hundreds after dumping more than 50 centimetres of rainfall in the south.
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