At least 14 people have lost their lives in a popular tourist area of Taiwan after Super Typhoon Ragasa struck the island, while Hong Kong and mainland China brace for impact.
The powerful storm the strongest in years has forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes, with flights canceled and schools and businesses closed. At least four more deaths have been reported in the Philippines, where nearly 700,000 people were affected in the northern Luzon region.
The victims in Taiwan were reported in eastern Hualien County, where 129 people remain missing after the city of Guangfu was flooded when a barrier lake broke its banks. Taiwan’s fire department confirmed that all the dead and missing are from Guangfu, according to Sky News.
One resident, a postman surnamed Hsieh, told Reuters that the water surged like a “tsunami,” sweeping his car into his living room.
Meanwhile, the village of Dama, home to around 1,000 people, has been completely flooded. Its village chief, Wang Tse-an, told Reuters that many residents remain trapped, adding: “It’s chaos now. There is mud and rocks everywhere.”
Ragasa is expected to hit China’s Guangdong province today, where over 370,000 residents have been evacuated. In Hong Kong, the storm alert has been raised to its highest level, 10, with residents warned of hurricane-force winds exceeding 190 km/h in some parts of the financial hub.
