New flood fears spook evacuees after Ragasa kills 17 in Taiwan

Residents in an eastern Taiwan town took to shelters on Sept 24, fearing further disaster after flooding from a strong typhoon killed 17 people, as Premier Cho Jung-tai called for an inquiry into what went wrong with evacuation orders.

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Subtropical Taiwan, frequently hit by typhoons, normally has a well-oiled disaster mechanism that averts mass casualties by moving people out of potential danger zones quickly.

But many residents in Guangfu, an inundated town in the beauty spot of Hualien that is popular with tourists, said there was insufficient warning when the lake overflowed during torrential rain on Sept 23 brought by Super Typhoon Ragasa.

Mr Cho said the immediate priority was to find those still missing - a number that was revised down to 17 after he spoke - but questions remained.

"We must investigate why evacuation orders were not carried out in the designated areas," he told reporters in Guangfu, referring to those who died.

"This is not about assigning blame, but about uncovering the truth."

The barrier lake, formed by landslides triggered by earlier heavy rain in Taiwan's sparsely populated east, burst its banks in the afternoon on Sept 23, sending a wall of water into the township of Guangfu.