At least 14 people were killed when a decades-old lake barrier burst in Taiwan, a government official said Wednesday, after Super Typhoon Ragasa pounded the island with torrential rain.
The lake in eastern Hualien county — formed by a series of landslides that created a natural dam wall — burst Tuesday, washing away a bridge and sweeping into a town with a trail of thick sludge and mud.
Lee Kuan-ting, a Hualien County Government press official, said 14 people were killed and 18 were injured.
Premier Cho Jung-tai visited the area on Wednesday, pledging to assist those affected.
According to the National Fire Agency, at least 152 people are missing in Hualien and elsewhere in Taiwan.