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Firefighters from across Taiwan searched through the night, going door-to-door in Guangfu township, Hualien county, where many elderly residents living on ground floors were feared trapped.
By Wednesday morning, the water had receded from the town centre, but homes and streets remained buried under mud, rocks and debris, according to the county fire department.
Survivors described scenes of chaos as two waves of floodwaters engulfed the community, forcing them to shelter overnight on upper floors and rooftops.
Footage posted on social media showed cars being swept away or in crushed heaps, and household possessions ruined in the street.
As residents surveyed the aftermath, anger mounted at what many described as an avoidable disaster.
