Two villagers battle through a flooded village in Cangnan county in east China's Zhejiang province
Emergency evacuation: A rescuer pulls a crying baby out of floodwater
An aerial picture shows the floods after Typhoon Morakot hit Pingtung county, southern Taiwan
Path of destruction: This map shows the region of China, Taiwan and the Philippines where Typhoon Morakot hit
A resident makes his way across a flooded street on a couch after typhoon Morakot hit Cangnan county of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province
A woman cries after being rescued from the southern village of Hsiaolin and airlifted to a high school in Chishan, in Taiwan's Kaohsiung county
A man and woman watch as thousands of pieces of wood washinto the Fu Kang fish harbor in Taitung, in southeast Taiwan
Splash down: The building of Hotel Chin Shuai lies collapsed in floodwater
Leaning tower: In extraordinary scenes, a hotel building is about to topple over after Typhoon Morakot hit Taitung county in Taiwan
-In a spectacular explosion of water and mud the hotel collapses into the flooded river-
A resident pulls a makeshift raft to transport two girls across a flooded street
-Residents near the coast are evacuated to Ningde City, southeast China's Fujian Province, on Aug. 7, 2009. Authorities in Fujian Province have ordered all schools and scenic spots to close before 4 p.m. Friday, as typhoon Morakot nears. The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said Friday that about 34,000 vessels had been recalled to port and 21,190 people in the cities of Ningde, Putian, Fuzhou and Quanzhou had been relocated to safe areas.-
-Soldiers help fishermen go to safe zone in the rain in Taizhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 6, 2009. It is predicted that the typhoon Morakot will land off the seashore in east China's Zhejiang Province and southeast China's Fujian Province from Saturday noon to Sunday morning. -
A mudslide triggered by torrential rains from a typhoon may have buried up to 600 villagers in mountainous southern Taiwan, disaster officials said on Monday.More than 50 people have died in tropical storms striking the Phillipines, Taiwan, China and Japan.
The death toll so far in Taiwan stood at 15, with 55 missing and 32 hurt, since Typhoon Morakot struck the island on Friday and remained in the area through the weekend before battering China's populous east coast.
Rescue squads aboard helicopters had saved only 45 people from Hsiao Lin, a village of 1,000 in southern Taiwan. Rains washed out roads and bridges in Kaohsiung County, severing all land vehicle traffic.
"No small number of single-storey houses have been covered in mudslides," said Richard Hu, an army major-general. "We don't know how many people are there, but homes have definitely been buried."
Local officials said they had lost contact with up to 600 villagers, with inclement weather reducing even helicopter access. The storm caused floods in Taiwan's densely-populated south and farm-related losses on the island were estimated at T$4.2 billion ($128 million).
Morakot killed 22 people in the Philippines. In China, it damaged more than 1,800 houses in the province of Zhejiang and killed at least one child, the official Xinhua news agency said.
One million people were evacuated in China before the storm made landfall and losses were estimated at 2.2 billion yuan ($322 million).
Witnesses Account
Lin Chien-chung, a rescued villager, told the United Evening News Paper that his home and neighbourhood were buried and up to 600 people could have suffered the same fate. However, rescuers said that the figure was an overestimate. “The mudslide covered a large part of the village, including a primary school and many homes. A part of the mountain above us just fell on the village.”
Another man could not hold back tears. “The mountain buried everyone in the middle of the night. There was no escape.”
One local government official in Sayo was found drowned in his car and the body of a woman was recovered from a gutter. In Okayama, a 68-year-old woman was killed by a landslide as earth loosened by the intense rain bore down upon her house. Cars were upended and wooden houses were half toppled by the waters. The lower floors of even stronger buildings were inundated with mud and debris.
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Taiwan has closed offices and schools and grounded flights as the strongest typhoon of the year closes in on the island.
Heavy rains and strong winds caused by Typhoon Morakot have already triggered floods and mudslides across the region.
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