Super Typhoon Ragasa bursts Taiwan lake, unleashes flood as death toll climbs to 14 in eastern Taiwan

Rescuers from Taiwan are reaching for the affected location as Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is touted as the strongest storm of 2025, is heading towards China’s southern coast.

September 24, 2025 06:47 AM IST First published on: Sep 24, 2025 at 06:47 AM IST

Strong waves crash against the waterfront in Heng Fa Chuen area as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches in Hong Kong. (AP Photo)

At least 14 people have died and more than 124 remain missing in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien county after a barrier lake in the mountains overflowed and caused flooding in a town as Super Typhoon Ragasa hit the country, Taiwan’s fire department said on Monday, Reuters reported.

The barrier lake was formed by landslides that was prompted after heavy rain took place in the region which is sparsely populated in the east of Taiwan. The barriers burst its banks on Tuesday afternoon that sent water into the nearby Guangfu township in Hualien county.

The government on Tuesday night put the death toll at two with 30 others missing. An official from the fire department said that further information would be provided later on Wednesday. Rescuers from Taiwan are reaching for the affected location as Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is touted as the strongest storm of 2025, is heading towards China’s southern coast.

Super Typhoon Ragasa is set to make landfall in Guangdong province, where more than 370,000 people have been evacuated, and several schools and businesses have been shut down, BBC reported. Hong Kong, on the other hand, has upgraded its typhoon level for the super typhoon to its maximum level of 10.

*People watch as strong waves batter Basco, Batanes province, northern Philippines as Typhoon Ragasa affects the area*. (AP Photo)

Dama village chief Wang Tse-an told Reuters that his entire village, which houses over 1,000 people and is part of the township, has been flooded due to the storm and many others remain stranded.

“It’s chaotic now. We need supplies, which can’t get through at the moment. The most important thing is to get people out to safety and put them in shelters,” Wang said.

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Super Typhoon Ragasa, which is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, has wind gusts of up to 285km/h (177mph) at its highest point on Monday, and the super typhoon has prompted landslides, floods, and storm surges across the territory this week.

According to Lee Lung-sheng, deputy chief of Hualien County Fire Department, “In some places, water temporarily rose as high as the second floor of a house and was about [as high as] one floor in the town centre, where the water has been receding,” reported BBC, quoting AFP.

(with inputs from Reuters, BBC)