One person was killed and five were missing in Taiwan as Typhoon Morakot lashed the island with powerful winds and downpours, rescuers said yesterday.
Morakot had dumped 1,800mm of rain on southern Pingtung county as of yesterday evening, flooding at least three coastal townships, the government said.
Evening papers said it was the county’s worst flooding in 50 years, citing Pingtung’s magistrate Tsao Chi-hung, while his deputy Chung Chia-pin told TVBS that an estimated 8,000 people were trapped in flooded areas. Hundreds of rescuers and solders continued to battle the bad weather in Pingtung to evacuate people to safety and deliver supplies, the authorities said. Television footage showed torrential downpours had submerged houses and streets in Pingtung, cutting off electricity and phone services.
“The flood started this morning and the water is over two stories high in most places,” said a policeman from Chiatung township, one of the worst-hit areas in Pingtung with some 10,000 residents.
In southern Kaohsiung city, a woman died after she fell into a ditch when strong winds swept her off her motorcycle, said the National Fire Agency, which coordinates rescue work.
It also said four fishermen and a 50-year-old woman who had fallen into a river were unaccounted for while seventeen people have been injured but none seriously.
Taiwan’s worst flooding occurred exactly 50 years ago when 667 people were killed as heavy rains lashed the island for three consecutive days beginning on August 7. Morakot made landfall around midnight Friday in eastern Hualien county, unleashing powerful winds that swayed high-rise buildings, turned over cars and uprooted trees and road signs in many places.
Waves as high as 9m hit coastal Hualien, reports said, while television footage showed winds had ripped the iron roof off an elementary school in central Changhua county.
The typhoon had caused atleast Taiwan $832mn in agricultural damage and temporarily disrupted electricity in more than 1mn households, officials said. Taiwan’s financial markets, offices and summer schools were shut and most outdoor festivities postponed on Friday while nearly 600 domestic and international flights were cancelled in two days, the authorities said.
According to Taiwan’s weather bureau, Morakot was 80km north-northwest of Taipei at 17:30pm, moving north-northwest at 11km per hour and packing gusts of 108 km per hour.
The bureau has downgraded Morakot to a tropical storm but warned against continues heavy rains in southern Taiwan. AFP
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