Hundreds May Be Dead in Taiwan

Millions have fled their homes and up to 600 people are feared dead in Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot struck the island. The mountain village of Hsiao Lin in southern Taiwan was particularly badly hit, with as many as 200 homes buried under mudslides. A rescue operation is under way in the remote village, but helicopter crews have been unable to rescue any survivors because of poor conditions. In the rest of Taiwan, at least 23 people have been killed and many more are missing. "A lot of the roads have been washed out ... some buildings are half submerged, and we're seeing a lot of fowl and livestock floating in the water, obviously drowned from the heavy flooding," according to Steve Chao, a reporter for Al Jazeera. At least 16,000 troops as well as armored vehicles and marine landing crafts have been marshaled to deal with the record three meters of rain dumped on the island by the typhoon.