Star Metro - Taiwan races to rescue two dozen missing after barrier lake burst

AFP correspondents saw the rescue unfold in Hualien, where entire streets have been buried under thick mud, with flood levels reaching the height of second-storey buildings in some areas.

At least 14 people were killed in Tuesday's disaster, 22 remained missing, and 54 were injured, the National Fire Agency said on Thursday.

Rescuers in mud-stained uniforms brought the man out on a stretcher, one of them holding a jacket over his face to shade him from the sun's glare.

The unidentified man survived on food delivered by workers but grew unwell as the floodwaters rose, said Tu Jen-yi, one of the volunteers helping rescuers navigate the area.

Tu said as he made his way through the debris that the area looked transformed.

"You can't even recognise what kind of place it is anymore," Tu told AFP as he stood in front of a submerged street.

"Only the second floors are visible."

- 'Five metres of mud' -

Compounding the complexity of the rescue effort was the continuous flow of water into the town, more pronounced in low-lying areas such as Fozu street, near where the man was rescued.

"Most of the missing are from (Fozu) street and nearby alleys," Chien Wan-yao, deputy director-general of the National Fire Agency, told AFP.

"... the water level there keeps rising."

Liu Chung-hsien, an official of the Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, said the barrier lake was still overflowing, so the government had not lifted the alert.

"About 12 percent of the water is still left in the lake," he said.

Nearly 500 personnel from the military, fire department, coast guard and volunteer groups have been deployed to the disaster zone, where heavy machinery is being used to clear debris.

"On Fuzo Street, the mud is three metres (10 feet) high -- only the second floor is visible," said an official from Hualien's fire department.

"A gravel site yesterday was buried under five metres (of mud). Heavy machinery is digging through it now."

- Anxious wait -

Relatives of the missing were growing increasingly desperate.

"It has been three days," said 68-year-old Kao Ming-tsun.

"We've reported many times, but there is still no call back. My brother is missing, and his wife is in the hospital.

"He must already be dead -- I acknowledge that. But how long do I have to wait?"

Chen Chun-hsien, a cafe owner, is awaiting news of her mother-in-law. "She should be soaked in the water... I dreamt of her. She said she was cold."

Liu Chien-chung, 54, a rescuer, described the grim reality of their search.

"We watch the excavators dig carefully before retrieving the bodies," he said. "Finding them... it's just luck."

F.Tremblay--SMC