3 hours ago
2
By Yimou Lee
September 24, 2025 — 3.58pm
Hualien: Fourteen people are dead and 129 are missing in a popular tourist region of Taiwan after a barrier lake burst its banks and swallowed a town during one of the worst typhoons to hit Asia in years.
Taiwan has been lashed since Monday by the outer rim of Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is now hitting China’s southern coast after also hitting the Asian financial hub of Hong Kong, where fierce winds woke residents and waves taller than lamp posts crashed over the city’s promenades.
In Hualien, one of Taiwan’s top tourism drawcards known for its natural beauty, a barrier lake burst its banks on Tuesday afternoon to send a wall of water into the township of Guangfu, turning roads into churning rivers that carried vehicles and furniture away.
The water hit like a “tsunami”, Guangfu postman Hsieh Chien-tung said, though he was able to flee to the second floor of the post office just in time. Later, he got home to find his car had been swept into the living room.
Fire officials said all the dead and missing were in Guangfu, where the waters also swept away a major road bridge across a river. Regions across Taiwan have dispatched rescue teams, with the military sending 340 troops to help.
Strong waves crash against the waterfront in Hong Kong’s Heng Fa Chuen area as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches the city.Credit: AP
Waves crash over a promenade in Hong Kong.Credit: Bloomberg
The government estimated the barrier lake contained 91 million tonnes of water, enough to fill about 36,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The lake overflowed to release about 60 million tonnes of water, the government said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office offered condolences in a rare sign of goodwill from Beijing, which has a deep dislike of Taipei’s government. China views Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong
objections of the island’s democratically elected government.
As the typhoon approached Hong Kong and Macao, schools were closed, flights were cancelled, and hundreds of people sought refuge in temporary centres in each city. Strong winds blew away parts of a pedestrian bridge’s roof in Hong Kong and knocked down hundreds of trees across the city. Vessels also crashed into the shore, and more than 60 injured people were treated at hospitals.
Debris washed up by waves in front of a seaside restaurant in Hong Kong on Wednesday.Credit: Bloomberg
Hong Kong’s observatory said the typhoon had sustained winds near the centre of up to 195km/h and had skirted about 100 kilometres to the south of the city. It was forecast to continue moving west or west-northwest at about 22km/h.
Nearly 1.9 million people have been relocated across Guangdong province, the southern Chinese economic powerhouse, and the national weather agency forecasts that the super typhoon will make landfall between the cities of Yangjiang and Zhanjiang in the evening. Schools, factories and transit services were suspended in about a dozen cities.
Loading
Ten people were also killed in the Philippines as the typhoon cut a path between the Philippines and Taiwan.
Reuters, AP
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
Most Viewed in World
Loading
