Typhoon “Hualongsha” death toll down to 14 in Taiwan; China begins cleanup

Taiwan has lowered the death toll caused by Typhoon “Hualongsha” to 14, as this weakened tropical storm is currently crossing China and heading towards Vietnam. The Hualien County Fire Department on Thursday revised the previous day’s death toll from 17 to 14, citing some casualties being double-counted due to the effects on the remote east coast of the island still being documented. The number of missing persons has also been reduced from 152 on Wednesday to 33, with search and rescue efforts ongoing for the remaining individuals. These fatalities occurred after the typhoon’s outer circulation brought heavy rain to Hualien County, leading to the overflow of a barrier lake in the mountains and flooding in the Guangfu Township. Premier Su Tseng-chang of Taiwan mentioned that most of these deaths occurred on the first floor of buildings, emphasizing the need for an investigation and for authorities to seize the “golden rescue window” to find…