Torrential rain from Typhoon Mekkhala shut down large parts of southern Taiwan on Thursday (25 June), leaving more than five million people off work or school as flooding cut sections of the island’s main rail line and forced evacuations.
Although Typhoon Mekkhala did not make landfall, its outer rain bands brought intense downpours to the southern cities of Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung, prompting local authorities to close offices and schools across the region.
Severe flooding in Tainan forced the closure of part of Taiwan’s main north-south railway line, though the island’s separate high-speed rail network remained operational.
No casualties have been reported so far, but emergency authorities in eastern Hualien County began evacuating nearly 200 residents from two townships downstream of a rapidly filling barrier lake in the mountains.
Barrier lakes form when landslides or rockfalls block rivers, trapping water and raising the risk of sudden breaches.
Authorities remain on high alert after a similar barrier lake breach in Hualien during Super Typhoon Ragasa last year killed 19 people, unleashing destructive floods and mudslides into nearby communities.
Forecasters say heavy rain is expected to continue across Taiwan for at least another week, though conditions are forecast to gradually ease.
Despite the disruption, the rainfall is expected to help replenish reservoirs after Taiwan’s typically dry winter months, with the island heavily reliant on summer and autumn typhoon systems for water supply.
Foreign ministers from the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) gathered in Ankara on Thursday to strengthen regional cooperation and finalise prepa...
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday she would step down eight months early, seeking greater freedom to speak o...
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, whi...
Despite losing his bloc's majority in Israel's 120-seat Knesset in a hotly contested election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to remain in the lead after 70 per cent of votes were tallied on Wednesday. Figures are subject to change as counting continues.
Russia and Ukraine have begun a regional ceasefire to allow the start of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, both sides said on Tuesday, but they continue strikes elsewhere, including the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
At least 68 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, in the second deadly rail disaster in less than a year on a major route linking Madrid with the southern Andalusia region.
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on Thursday she would step down eight months early, seeking greater freedom to speak out on global issues beyond monetary policy.
Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) are meeting in Ankara for their 13th summit, with Türkiye set to take over the rotating chairmanship from Azerbaijan as members seek closer economic, political and defence ties.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Russian drone strikes killed at least 19 people across Ukraine on Thursday, including 14 at a crowded railway station in Dnipro, three in Kremenchuk and two teenage girls in Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said.
A six-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire near the Ukrainian city of Kherson has brought a rare respite from Russian attacks, offering war-weary residents a brief return to normality. But fears remain that the violence could erupt again at any moment.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment