Chihpen, Taiwan – Torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Morakot, which was downgraded from a typhoon on Saturday, continued to wreak havoc in the south of the country yesterday.
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As of 8pm yesterday, the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center had confirmed seven fatalities, while another 32 were injured and 46 were missing.
A total of 6,301 people had been evacuated from their homes, the center said.
Though the center of the storm left Taiwan on Saturday, heavy rain from the rim of the system continued to cause major damage.
In eastern Taiwan, the Jinshuai Hotel in Jhihben, Taitung County, collapsed into the Jhihben River just before noon after its foundations were eroded by surging floodwaters.
A report in the Chinese-language Liberty Times said the management of the hotel had begun evacuating guests on Saturday after roads leading to the town, which is popular for its hot springs, were washed away by the river.
Several stores in front of the six-story hotel were also washed away by the swollen river.
Hotel staffers were reportedly safe at another hotel nearby, while 400 visitors were trapped in Jhihben, unable to return home.
WOW!
They should try using foundation in their buildings. This is what happens when u put up a ‘box’ on a flat surface.
scary looking, it looks straight out of a movie