CaliToday (24/9/2025):
HUALIEN, TAIWAN – Rescue operations are in a desperate race against time in eastern Taiwan today, September 24, 2025, after the outer bands of Super Typhoon Ragasa triggered a catastrophic flood that has left at least 14 people dead and 152 missing.
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| A car stuck in mud in Hualien after the bursting of a barrier lake (STR) |
The disaster unfolded on Tuesday afternoon in the rural Guangfu Township of Hualien County when a barrier lake, dangerously swollen by the typhoon's torrential rainfall, catastrophically failed. The collapse of the Matai'an Creek Barrier Lake unleashed a devastating "wall of water" and mud that inundated communities, swept away a major bridge, and turned streets into raging rivers.
Taiwan's National Fire Agency confirmed the grim death toll on Wednesday, stating that most of the deceased were elderly residents unable to escape the rapidly rising floodwaters. The number of missing remains alarmingly high, with emergency services struggling to account for 152 people amid the widespread chaos and destruction.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of sheer terror. "It was like a disaster movie," local resident Yen Shau told reporters. "One moment people were at the market, the next, a torrent of mud and water was carrying cars and furniture away. The mud is just too deep to dig out."
Footage from the area shows entire villages submerged, with vehicles half-buried in thick sludge and debris strewn across the landscape. The powerful floodwaters completely destroyed a critical bridge, severing access to several communities and complicating rescue efforts. In the village of Dama, home to about 1,000 people, the entire area was reported to have been flooded, with many residents stranded and awaiting aid.
The Taiwanese military has been mobilized, deploying hundreds of troops to Hualien County to assist in the large-scale search and rescue operation. Armored personnel carriers are being used to navigate streets now impassable due to thick mud. Rescue teams are going door-to-door, checking on residents and distributing essential supplies like water and instant noodles to those who are trapped.
Across Taiwan, more than 7,600 people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution against the storm, which is one of the most powerful typhoons to form globally this year. While the typhoon's core passed south of the island, its extensive rain bands dumped upwards of 700mm (28 inches) of rain on parts of the rugged east coast, leading to the formation and subsequent collapse of the barrier lake.
Super Typhoon Ragasa has since moved on, lashing Hong Kong with hurricane-force winds and forcing mass evacuations in southern China. For Taiwan, however, the focus remains squarely on the heartbreaking aftermath and the urgent search for the scores of people still missing in the wake of this tragic natural disaster.
