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Typhoon Toraji Hits Taiwan, at Least 52 Dead and 157 Missing
Typhoon Toraji Hits Taiwan
Tropical storm Toraji whirled into coastal Fujian Province on Tuesday after it swept through Taiwan island at typhoon strength, killing 52 people and leaving 157 missing in mudslides and raging waters that swept away cars and houses.
In the storm's wake, families of the missing sobbed and waited anxiously as Taiwan rescue workers climbed over logs, rocks and other debris and dug in the mud in the central county of Hualien.
In one town of Kuang Fu in the Hualien County, 23 people died and nearly 30 people were missing.
Hualien and the mountainous central county of Nantou were the worst hit areas in Taiwan after Toraji slammed into the island early Monday and swept across into the Taiwan Straits. After weakening to a tropical storm, it hit Fujian early Tuesday but no damage or casualties were reported.
Disaster officials in Taiwan said 52 people were killed and 157 missing in mudslides or flash floods that swept away cars, homes, bridges and mountain roads. Taiwan's Council of Agriculture estimated that damage to land and livestock could reach $4 million.
In Nantou, devastated by an earthquake two years ago, chocolate-colored water flooded the narrow streets. Television reports showed palm trees ripped out of the ground by high winds and homes half-buried in mud.
Residents in the Nantou town center were seen trudging through the mud to retrieve their belongings. Other residents along riverbank areas were stranded on the roofs of their homes as rescue workers on red pontoon boats picked them up.
In Taipei - about 125 miles north of Nantou - the normally congested streets were empty during morning rush hour as all offices and banks - including the stock market - were closed. Many upscale shopping malls and hotels had boarded up their windows as a precaution against the winds, which did little damage.
Taiwan's most famous high-tech industrial park, Hsinchu, was also in the path of the storm, but officials did not report any damage. The storm did not cause any power outages in the park - the island's version of Silicon Valley - saving many of the world's biggest computer chipmakers expensive delays.
By midday Tuesday, Toraji - named after a popular plant in North Korea - had winds of up to 43 mph and gusts of up to 60 mph. A tropical storm becomes a typhoon when its surface winds reach 74 mph.
China Airlines, Taiwan's largest airline, canceled most of its international flights, while Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific canceled nine flights to Taiwan. Trains were also stopped between Taipei and cities in central and southeastern Taiwan.
Toraji is the sixth tropical storm to hit Taiwan this year.
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