Rescuers yesterday recovered a man’s body in Hualien County’s Dongfu Village (東富), bringing the confirmed death toll from Super Typhoon Ragasa to 18, the Central Emergency Operation Center said.
Six people remain missing, and 107 others were injured nationwide.
Soldiers discovered the body during shoreline searches near Kalotong, about 7km downstream from flood-hit Fozu Street in Guangfu Township (光復), one of the hardest-hit areas after torrential rain brought by the typhoon caused a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) to collapse on Tuesday last week.
Photo courtesy of the Hualien County Fire Department via CNA
Authorities said the body has been identified as a 64-year-old farm worker surnamed Tsai (蔡).
The missing include a gravel pit owner, a retired professor and several residents swept away by floodwaters.
As of 9:20am, the center reported 788 disaster incidents across the nation, with 736 of them in Hualien.
Photo: AFP
Six shelters in Guangfu are accommodating 652 displaced residents, while nearly 2,500 soldiers with heavy equipment continue to clear roads, deliver relief supplies and search for the missing.
The barrier lake remains unstable. While its water level has dropped by 118.5m, leaving just 6.1 million tonnes of water, or 6.7 percent of its original capacity, officials said that red alerts would stay in place due to unstable slopes and continuing inflows.
The center added that flood defenses in Guangfu are being reinforced with temporary levees after multiple dikes were damaged. Reconstruction of the Mataian River Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) is to proceed in stages, starting with an emergency culvert road by Oct. 15, a steel bridge by January and permanent rebuilding through late next year.
A dedicated account for private donations for disaster relief following severe flooding in Hualien County has collected more than NT$400 million (US$13.1 million), the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
As of 11:59pm on Sunday, the account had received more than 180,000 donations totaling NT$433,534,219, or 86 percent of the NT$500 million fundraising goal.
In a Facebook post, the ministry thanked donors for their support.
The funds would be used exclusively for disaster-related assistance, emergency medical care, and recovery and reconstruction projects, it said.
More than NT$200 million has been donated through ATM transfers and in-person remittances, while 120,000 individual contributions totaling nearly NT$180 million have been made through Line Pay, information on the Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief’s Web site says.
Donations will be accepted until Oct. 24.
For those wishing to donate, the account name is Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief (財團法人賑災基金會) at the Land Bank of Taiwan Changchun Branch (土地銀行長春分行), with the account number 102-005-201-966.
For overseas transfers, the SWIFT Code is: LBOTTWTP102
Donations can also be made through other channels, including Line Pay and major convenience store chains.
To get a receipt, donors should provide proof of donation, their name, phone number and mailing address, and send the information by fax to 02-8912-7638 or by e-mail to admin@tf4dr.org.
People who make donations via convenience store kiosks can request a receipt by selecting “Request Donation Receipt” and completing the required information.
In the Vatican on Sunday, toward the end of the Mass for the Jubilee of Catechists, Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for those affected by Super Typhoon Ragasa.
A Vatican News report said that the pope specifically mentioned Asia, noting that a “very powerful typhoon” had struck several regions, “in particular the Philippines, the island of Taiwan, the city of Hong Kong, the Guangdong region and Vietnam.”
“I assure the affected populations, especially the poorest, of my closeness and my prayers for the victims, the missing, the many displaced families, the countless people who have suffered hardship, as well as the rescue workers and civil authorities,” the pope said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) expressed the nation’s gratitude for the gesture on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would continue working with Pope Leo XIV to promote related humanitarian assistance.
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