At least 14 people are dead after a barrier lake collapsed in Taiwan’s Hualien County, as Super Typhoon Ragasa’s torrential rains triggered deadly flooding and rescue operations.
In the wake of Super Typhoon Ragasa, tragedy struck Taiwan’s Hualien County on Wednesday when a barrier lake burst, unleashing devastating floods that killed at least 14 people, according to local officials.
Rescue teams raced against time, navigating collapsed roads and swollen rivers to reach stranded residents. Heavy rains from Ragasa — one of the most powerful storms to strike Asia this year — overwhelmed natural dams and mountain waterways, triggering the deadly breach.
Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as dozens remain unaccounted for and multiple communities remain cut off. Military helicopters have been deployed to airlift survivors from remote villages.
Hualien, already scarred by an earthquake earlier this year, is now facing compounding devastation, with homes, farmland, and infrastructure heavily damaged. Meteorologists cautioned that Ragasa’s remnants could continue to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Taiwan and neighboring regions.
The disaster highlights the growing vulnerability of East Asia’s mountainous regions to extreme weather intensified by climate change, with barrier lake collapses posing increasing risks in typhoon-prone zones.
