Taiwan Mudslide Buries 500 in Wake of Typhoon

(NEWSER) - Typhoon Morakot shredded homes, sent water gushing over banks, and uprooted trees in southeast China yesterday, leaving thousands of people stranded. The storm left a trail of destruction in the Philippines and Taiwan, killing dozens, before striking China's coast. The storm's eye turned the sky black and torrential rains washed fish from mudflat fish farms, reports CNN. A separate typhoon hit Japan today, killing 12. More»

(NEWSER) - Some 700 people feared dead in Taiwan's mudslides have been found alive and rescued from the disaster zone, the BBC reports. Military helicopters have been evacuating people from rural areas in southern Taiwan, where mudslides caused by Typhoon Morakot engulfed several mountain villages. Hundreds of other people are still missing and feared dead or trapped in their buried homes. More»

(NEWSER) - Some one million people on China's southeast coast have fled ahead of a massive typhoon spawning 30-foot waves and packing 74 mph winds, reports the BBC. Typhoon Morakot made landfall early today in Fujan Province after authorities sent more than 8 million text messages warning residents to evacuate. Morakot dumped more than 8 feet of rain on Taiwan earlier this week, triggering the worst flooding in 50 years. The typhoon also sparked violent rains in the Philippines, where at least 10 people died. More»

Storm hits still-recovering Manila and surrounding areas

(AP) - Another typhoon battered the Philippine capital and surrounding provinces today, leaving seven people dead and at least five missing. Typhoon Mirinae is the fourth storm to lash the northern Philippines in a month and brought new hardship to areas struggling from the previous disasters. Nearly 95,000 people were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck. More»

(AP) - Taiwan has agreed to let the Dalai Lama visit the island to comfort survivors of a devastating typhoon, a decision that could anger China. Beijing considers the Buddhist spiritual leader a "splittist" for promoting autonomy in the Chinese region of Tibet. Allowing him to visit Taiwan could undermine the rapidly improving relations between Beijing and Taipei, which have been developing close business ties after decades of enmity. More»