Triggered by Typhoon Ragasa, water from a reservoir overflowed in the Ma Tai An river's upper reaches near Wan Rong township in Hualien county, eastern Taiwan, on the afternoon of 23/9. The resulting flash flood carried mud and debris downstream, destroying a bridge over the Ma Tai An river and inundating several towns, submerging homes and sweeping away vehicles.
An estimated 15.4 million tons of water was released, creating what geologists called a "mountain tsunami". Postal worker Hsieh Chien-tung also described the flood as a "tsunami". Hsieh said he managed to escape to the second floor of the post office, but returned home to find his car swept into his living room.
"It was like a volcano erupting, the floodwaters mixed with mud and debris surged into the first floor of my house," said 55-year-old Hsu Cheng-hsiung, a neighborhood leader in Kuang Fu township.
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Residents clean up debris after the reservoir burst in Hualien county, Taiwan, on 24/9. Photo: AFP |
Residents clean up debris after the reservoir burst in Hualien county, Taiwan, on 24/9. Photo: AFP
31-year-old local resident Yen Shau described the flood as something out of a disaster film. He recounted how just an hour earlier, people were shopping in supermarkets and grocery stores.
"In just a few minutes, the water rose to the middle of the first floor," Yen said, adding that he lost sleep due to fear on the night of 23/9 and spent the following day cleaning mud from his home.
Moment flood from Taiwan reservoir sweeps away bridge. Video: CNA/EToday
A fruit vendor surnamed Tsai recounted how she quickly moved her belongings after the evacuation notice, but the water rose in seconds and flooded her shop.
"It was terrifying. The water swept away all the fruit shelves and electric scooters. We couldn't save anything," Tsai said, adding that her family only had time to run upstairs for safety.
Social worker Kao Chen-han said he initially heard the roaring water and thought it was just rain. "But I quickly realized something was wrong. I ran to the third floor and from the roof, I could only see the strong current and vehicles being swept away," Kao said.
Taiwan's fire department reported 15 fatalities due to the flood and revised the number of missing persons to 17, significantly down from the earlier figure of 152.
Ngoc Anh (According to AFP, Reuters, Focus Taiwan)
