At Least 14 Dead After Lake Barrier Collapse In Taiwan Following Super Typhoon Ragasa

At least 14 people were killed in eastern Taiwan after a decades-old natural lake barrier in Hualien County collapsed on Tuesday, unleashing a torrent of mud and floodwaters into nearby communities, a government official confirmed Wednesday.

The lake, created by landslides that formed a natural dam, overflowed after being battered by torrential rain from Super Typhoon Ragasa. The burst destroyed a bridge and swept mud and debris into a town.

“It was like a volcano erupting. The muddy floodwaters came straight into the first floor of my house,” said Hsu Cheng-hsiung, a neighborhood leader in Kuang Fu township.

Hualien County spokesperson Lee Kuan-ting reported 14 dead and 18 injured. Premier Cho Jung-tai visited the disaster zone and pledged government support, vowing to investigate why evacuation orders were not implemented in time.

“Our biggest concern now is the more than one hundred people still missing,” Cho said.

The National Fire Agency confirmed at least 152 people remain missing across Hualien and other parts of Taiwan.

Resident Yen Shau, 31, said many locals were still shopping at supermarkets less than an hour before the flood hit. “Within minutes, the water had risen halfway up the first floor,” he said, describing the scene as “a disaster movie.”

Footage released by the fire agency showed cars submerged in muddy water, uprooted trees, and streets turned into rivers.

Authorities said more than 7,600 people were evacuated across Taiwan due to Typhoon Ragasa. The island is prone to tropical storms between July and October; just months earlier, Typhoon Danas killed two and injured hundreds in southern Taiwan.