2 killed, scores trapped as Taiwan mountain lake bursts

International

A SUPER typhoon caused a mountain lake to burst its banks, leaving two people dead and scores trapped in eastern Taiwan on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

The destruction of the barrier lake, formed by previous landslides, sent water surging into the nearby township of Guangfu in Hualien county.

In a report by BBC, rescue operations were immediately conducted.

The destruction of the barrier lake was caused by Super Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest storm of 2025 and is now bearing down on China's southern coast. It is due to make landfall in Guangdong province on Wednesday, where some 370,000 people have been evacuated, and many schools and businesses shut, the BBC report added.

Hong Kong has raised its typhoon warning to level 10, the maximum level.

Ragasa - equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane - packed wind gusts of up to 285km/h (177mph) at its highest point on Monday, and has triggered warnings of floods, storm surges and landslides across the region this week.

Ragasa has ravaged Taiwan since Monday. The island recorded almost 60cm (24 inches) of rain in its east due to the typhoon, Reuters news agency reported.

In Hualien county the burst lake destroyed a bridge, toppled trees and submerged cars.

"In some places, water temporarily rose as high as the second floor of a house and was about [as high as] one floor in the town centre, where the water has been receding," Lee Lung-sheng, deputy chief of Hualien County Fire Department, told AFP news agency.

"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."(MyTVCebu)