Hualien: A deadly natural disaster struck eastern Taiwan as a barrier lake in Hualien County burst its banks on September 23, unleashing a massive flood that has claimed at least 15 lives and left 124 people missing. The catastrophic event was triggered by Super Typhoon Ragasa, one of the most powerful storms to hit the region this year, which brought relentless rainfall and widespread instability to the mountainous terrain.

The barrier lake, located above the town of Guangfu along a tributary of Matai'an Creek, was formed when previous landslides, exacerbated by heavy rains and seismic activity, blocked a valley and trapped millions of cubic meters of water behind a natural dam. Satellite monitoring in July 2025 revealed the lake’s dimensions to be nearly 120 meters in height, containi

See Full Page