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Saturday July 19, 12:07 PMTaiwan storm death toll rises to 15
The casualties from floods and mudslides were reported in worst-hit central and southern Taiwan, where up to 950 millimetres (37 inches) of rain fell in less than two days, said the National Fire Agency. A baby girl and her teenage uncle were killed when their house tumbled under a mudslide while her pregnant mother was rescued with minor injuries. An army captain drowned after falling into a gutter in his barracks amid bad weather while one couple died when the boat they were being rescued in capsized. Nearly 60,000 government and civilian rescuers have been mobilised to combat floods and conduct rescue missions, with 87 people evacuated to safety, the agency said. But 10 people, believed to have been washed away by floods or buried alive, remained missing while eight others were injured, it said. The Central Weather Bureau has come under criticism from victims, the media and even President Ma Ying-jeou for underestimating the impact of Kalmaegi, for downgrading it from a typhoon to a tropical storm late Thursday. "The forecast predicted the storm to be weakening but the downpours it generated caught everyone off guard," Ma said when asking the bureau to review its system late Friday. However, the bureau denied it was to blame. "In a weather forecast the margin of error is inevitable," its weather forecast centre director Wu Teh-rung told reporters. The bureau urged residents in central and southern Taiwan to guard against further downpours although the storm was moving towards the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian. Kalmaegi also ravaged fields and farms, causing an estimated 316 million Taiwan dollars (10 million US) in damage, the government said. Television footage showed swollen rivers and flooded streets in various parts of the island as the storm disrupted traffic, electricity and water services. |
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