Taiwan rescuers battle thick mud to look for missing from Super Typhoon Ragasa

By Joseph Campbell, Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang

HUALIEN, Taiwan (Reuters) -Rescue workers in Taiwan battled through thick mud on Friday, looking for 11 people still missing after Super Typhoon Ragasa this week sent a wall of water into a small town on the east coast.

The flooding’s death toll held steady at 14.

The heavy rains in Hualien county caused a so-called barrier lake in the mountains to overflow on Tuesday and release a thick sludge of water and mud on the town of Guangfu.

While the flood waters have receded, the dark grey mud continues to blanket large parts of the area, creating problems for residents and rescuers alike.

Rescue workers, sometimes wading in mud up to their waists, have been cutting holes in the roofs of buildings to check for missing people.

A man who gave