STORY: Taiwan rescue workers battled tough conditions as they looked for missing people in the town of Guangfu on Friday (September 26).
They waded through mud and cut holes in roofs in hope of finding seven people still missing after Super Typhoon Ragasa’s onslaught.
This year’s strongest tropical cyclone brought heavy rains to the island’s eastern Hualien county this week, causing a barrier lake in the mountains to overflow, unleashing a wall of water onto Guangfu.
While the floodwaters have receded, dark grey mud continues to blanket large parts of the area.
“My friends are (buried) inside over there. So who am I supposed to speak to? How can we find them? Their bodies have been washed over in the floods.”
The flooding’s death toll was raised by one on Friday to 15, the fire department said.
:: 2025 Planet Labs PBC
Satellite imagery revealed the formation of the barrier lake from April to August this year.
Such lakes are formed when rocks, landslides or other natural blockages make a dam across a river, normally in a valley, blocking and holding back water, hindering or even stopping natural drainage.
But the barrier lake was barely visible on satellite images on Wednesday.
The government has ruled out using explosives to break through the bank holding back the remaining water, fearing it could spark more landslides and worsen the situation.
