Taiwan Flood Rescue Continues After Typhoon Ragasa

Rescue workers in Taiwan continue to search for 11 people still missing after Super Typhoon Ragasa triggered severe flooding and mudslides in the eastern town of Guangfu, Hualien County. The death toll remains at 14.

The disaster struck on Tuesday when heavy rains caused a barrier lake in the mountains to overflow, sending a wall of mud and water into the town. While floodwaters have receded, thick grey mud still blankets large areas, hampering rescue operations and daily life.

Rescuers, sometimes wading through mud up to their waists, have been cutting holes in roofs to reach trapped residents. Hwang, a local man, said he was still searching for his elder sister’s body, adding, “She died in the house because it was completely filled with mud and there was no way to get her out.”

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Many casualties occurred on the first floors of homes, particularly affecting elderly residents who were unable to move to higher levels in time. Huang Ju-hsing, 88, was trapped on the second floor of his home while his wife, Chang Hsueh-mei, 78, managed to escape by climbing over wreckage. “When you're faced with an emergency, you suddenly find the courage to do anything,” she said.

Hualien is a mountainous, sparsely populated region known for its natural beauty and as a popular tourist destination. The barrier lake that caused the flooding has now shrunk to 12% of its pre-disaster size. Officials have ruled out using explosives to break the lake’s bank due to fears of triggering additional landslides.

Barrier lakes form when natural blockages such as rocks or landslides dam a river, stopping or slowing drainage and posing flood risks.

Officials confirmed that Taiwan’s crucial semiconductor industry on the west coast remains unaffected by the disaster.

Rescue operations are ongoing, and authorities are continuing to assess the stability of the barrier lake while clearing mud from affected areas.