Summary
25 October 2010
One of the most powerful storms in years, Typhoon Megi, has killed at least 13 people in Taiwan. Rescue workers are searching for a group of Chinese tourists who are still missing.
Reporter:
Cindy Sui
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The typhoon has left Taiwan, but the number of people dead is just beginning to rise. Thirteen bodies have been dug up from the rubble of collapsed buildings, but there are still no clear signs of a busload of Chinese tourists missing since Thursday. The 19 tourists, their tour guide and driver are believed to have been travelling on a coastal highway, when rockslides and heavy rain caused portions of the road to collapse.
More than 200 search and rescue workers continue to comb a steep mountainside and rocky coastal area for signs of the bus and its occupants. They are searching on foot, from helicopters and in vessels in the sea. Officials say the bus may have been buried under tons of mud and rocks, or washed out to sea.
In addition to the Chinese tourists, four other people are also missing, including a driver and tour guide from another bus that plunged down the side of the highway. The passengers of that bus escaped just in time.
Taiwanese officials said they will not give up any chance of finding survivors. Relatives of the Chinese tourists will be arriving from China later on Monday.
Cindy Sui, 大象传媒 News, Taipei
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Vocabulary
- typhoon
violent tropical storm with strong winds
- rubble
broken stones or bricks
- tourists
visitors
- coastal highway
large main road that runs by the sea
- continue to comb
are still undertaking a detailed search
- occupants
passengers
- searching on foot
looking carefully while walking
- vessels
boats or ships
- plunged
fell suddenly and very rapidly
- relatives
family members
