Taiwan races to find Ragasa victims as ‘vile’ political firestorm erupts

As rescuers raced to find people still missing after catastrophic floods struck eastern Taiwan, attention turned to responsibility and recrimination within the island’s political circles, turning the disaster zone into a partisan battleground.

At least 14 people have been confirmed dead after a landslide dam on the Mataian River burst during Super Typhoon Ragasa, submerging much of Guangfu township and leaving homes and farms destroyed.

Grieving families have wept at temporary shelters, while others have clutched phones in hope of hearing word of missing relatives.

But while emergency workers waded through knee-high mud in search of the 22 people still missing, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Hualien County Government exchanged blame over the disaster, with the DPP accused of exploiting the disaster to smear its rivals, eclipsing frantic search operations.

14 dead, over 100 missing in Taiwan from Super Typhoon Ragasa

Much of the hostility centres on whether the county government failed to act on repeated evacuation orders issued by central agencies. Online rumours claimed the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) had sent nine warnings that were ignored. The county government disputed the claims as misleading.

South China Morning Post