Typhoon rescue plan ‘too slow’

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.

The official death toll stood at 108 after the worst floods in decades washed out roads, snapped bridges, sent dwellings crashing into rivers and forced authorities to deploy hundreds of helicopters for rescue missions.

The typhoon has shattered infrastructure in the south, a stronghold of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The damage will likely worsen already bleak forecasts for third-quarter economic contraction.