PRESSURE is mounting on Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou to speed up operations to rescue hundreds of people buried or stranded on remote mountain villages in the aftermath of typhoon Morakot.

RESCUERS in Taiwan have found nearly 1,000 people alive in the area around three remote villages devastated by Typhoon Morakot, which pummelled the island over the weekend, the country’s military said.

MILITARY helicopters ferried stricken villagers to safety yesterday from remote Taiwanese communities hit by Typhoon Morakot that left at least 70 dead, but hundreds more were still feared trapped by a torrent of mud and rock that buried their homes.

Military helicopters ferried stricken villagers to safety today from remote Taiwanese communities hit by a typhoon that has left at least 70 dead.

A helicopter carrying five crew members and a nurse crashed into a mountain while on a mission to rescue villagers whose homes were destroyed by a typhoon, Taiwanese TV stations said today.

A mudslide touched off by a deadly typhoon buried a remote mountain village in Taiwan, leaving at least 400 people unaccounted for, while a massive landslide in China toppled seven apartment buildings, an official said today.

A typhoon slammed into China’s eastern coast today, forcing the evacuation of nearly a million people.