La Quotidienne de Bruxelles - Hundreds trapped as typhoon triggers barrier lake burst in Taiwan

Ragasa lashed the northern Philippines and Taiwan on Monday with heavy rains and strong winds, forcing thousands to evacuate.

In Taiwan's eastern Hualien county, where downpours continued on Tuesday, the barrier lake on the upper Mataian Creek burst around 3:00 pm (0700 GMT), washing away a bridge and sweeping into a town, a local fire official said.

"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," Lee Lung-sheng, deputy chief of Hualien County Fire Department, told AFP.

"About 263 people were trapped and moved up to higher ground when the river suddenly rose. They are not in immediate danger, but they are very worried about the high water," he said.

He added that two people were missing, and a search was underway to recover them.

The stranded residents were asked to stay put and wait for the water to recede, he added.

Footage released by Taiwan's National Fire Agency showed flooded streets and half-submerged cars as trees were uprooted in the area.

Across Taiwan, more than 7,600 people were evacuated due to Typhoon Ragasa.

Around 3,100 people were evacuated beforehand and moved in with relatives in the area near the creek in Hualien, according to the fire agency.

Taiwan experiences frequent tropical storms from July to October.

Typhoon Danas, which hit the island in early July, killed two people and injured hundreds as the storm dumped more than 20 inches of rain across the south over a weekend.

C.Timmermans--LCdB