Super-Taifun Ragasa: Taiwan mourns 14 victims and 124 missing people

Super-Taifun Ragasa: Taiwan mourns 14 victims and 124 missing people

The Super-Taifun "Ragasa", who hit Taiwan with full force, has now requested at least 14 fatalities. According to the fire brigade, a natural reservoir in the east of the country flooded a village in the province of Hualia. The situation remains tense because 124 people are currently missing. The Taiwanese government initially reported two dead and 30 missing people after the typhoon, which raged in the region on Tuesday evening.

The heavy rains associated with the typhoon led to land, which in turn triggered a tidal wave. The storm now moves towards the southern Chinese coast and Hong Kong. Violent gusts of wind with speeds over 200 km/h are part of the storm that caused considerable damage. Hundreds of flights at Hong Kong Airport had to be deleted as a result.

Consequences for the region and preparations in Hong Kong

The situation in southern China and Hong Kong is critical because the authorities have already proclaimed the highest typhoon warning level 10. In Hong Kong, business barricades their windows to protect themselves from possible debris parts, while travelers were able to rebook many flights at the airport free of charge. Meteorologists expect a weakening of the typhoon on the western route, but the threat from the storm remains high. The schools, public transport and work in public space were discontinued in the province of Guangdong.

• Aktuelle Zahlen aus Taiwan:
• Todesopfer: 14
• Verletzte: 34
• Vermisste: 124

The Super-Taifun "Ragasa" belongs to the category of tropical hurricanes that arise above the Pacific. Typhoon are particularly dangerous because they can reach wind speeds of at least 240 km/h and have devastating effects. For comparison, the devastating Super-Taifun "Haiyan" cost more than 6,300 people in November 2013. The intensity of typhoons can be reinforced by climate changes, for which the warming of the oceans plays a significant role, as historical reports on typhoons in Japan and Taiwan show.

The effects of typhoons are not limited to Taiwan. In the Philippines there were reports of at least one individual death and hundreds of thousands were forced to evacuate. The region is well prepared to deal with the challenges of the typhoon season, which takes place in Japan from June to October and often hits the most densely populated areas in the country.

The governments of the affected areas and the meteorological services work intensively to inform the population about the dangers and to provide help in good time, while "Ragasa" is up to mischief.

The Super-Taifun "Ragasa" is observed with great attention. The situation in the affected regions remains tense, and the full extent of the destruction could only become clear in the coming days when the cleanup begins.

Small newspaper,, SRF,, Nippon Info