Taiwan Grapples with Morakot Aftermath
In another day of calamity, scores of villagers are reported to have fled their homes minutes before a flood-created lake burst Thursday and accused the government of moving too slow to initiate rescue operations.
While the Taiwanese military, which deployed thousands of more troops to the rescue and relief effort on Thursday, said operations were hampered by bad roads and bridge collapses that cut off several areas in the country.
Unmoved by the claims, villagers say many lives could have been saved, had the rescue and cleanup effort nor been slow.
Rescue workers brought some 600 people to safety on Thursday taking the total number of those moved to safer climes to around 14000, say media reports attributing the info to the Taiwanese Disaster Relief Center.
In the southern Taiwan town of Toayuan, rescue operations experts advised hindreds of villagers to run to higher ground some half-an-hour before the flood and mudslide created lake burst its banks.
Other lakes in the region are also expected to burst in the near future say reports citing local officials.
Taiwan as put the official death toll 108 and enlisted 61 as missing since Typhoon Morakot unleashed on the island over 2 meters of rain over last weekend.
With Taiwan grappling with its worst flood in over five decades, several nations including United States, Japan, Singapore and China have offered to pitch in to the relief initiative with financial aid.
