Flash floods that turned into street torrents destroying houses and pulling down bridges killed at least 38 people and injured more than 100 on the Portuguese island of Madeira, officials said yesterday.
Portugal rushed medical teams, rescuers, divers and relief supplies to the tourist island, warning that more bodies would be found in the mud that filled houses and swept people off their feet as they tried to escape.
The main airport was closed, power and telephone lines torn down and authorities told people not to risk their lives by venturing out.
“We have 38 dead, but the figure is not completely definitive,” regional government social affairs secretary Francisco Ramos told reporters, warning that the toll was likely to rise.
“We are going to continue to search for bodies, we are waiting for the teams which are due to arrive … in order to continue working on the ground,” he said.
People who left their homes in the main city, Funchal, struggled to keep their feet in torrents of muddy water that poured down the hillsides and out of alleys.
The flash floods destroyed houses and bridges, particularly around Funchal and the Ribeira Brava region, both on the south of the island.
The Portuguese naval frigate Corte-Real set off from Lisbon for Madeira late on Saturday with helicopters, a medical team and relief supplies, a military statement said.
Two helicopters and two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft were also en route. Eighty-nine police and firefighters were to leave Lisbon for Funchal yesterday.
The head of the regional government held talks late on Saturday with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a bid to get EU aid.
The strong winds and heavy rain caused flooding and landslides, particularly in the south of Madeira, which is 900km southwest of the Portuguese mainland and 500km from the African coast.
Winds exceeding 100kph, high seas and blocked roads made rescue attempts even more difficult for emergency services, though weather experts said the worst of the storms was over.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
South Korea yesterday said that it was removing loudspeakers used to blare K-pop and news reports to North Korea, as the new administration in Seoul tries to ease tensions with its bellicose neighbor. The nations, still technically at war, had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. It said in June that Pyongyang stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean residents, a day after South Korea’s loudspeakers fell silent. “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers,”
RSS