Rescue workers have stopped trying to dig out the village of Shiao Lin in Taiwan, with nearly 400 people feared buried by a mudslide caused by Typhoon Morakot, which dumped two metres of rain on the island in a short time. The government says a memorial service will be held on the spot where 170 homes were buried. More than 15,000 people have been rescued after being hit by the storm which provoked Taiwan’s worst floods in 50 years, but rescuers are still trying to reach another 1,900 people. The government has to date confirmed 116 people dead from the storm, not including Shiao Lin. In a strange twist, Taiwan’s media carry the story of what is alternately described as the about-face in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on foreign disaster aid or an administrative mistake that led to a government office initially telling other offices not to accept rescue assistance from abroad. BBC, China Post, Taipei Times
Storms have battered Switzerland in recent days
Hail balls hit orchards in Etoy, 23 July
Update 14:25 Bern and Lucerne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Heavy storms that crossed central Switzerland around 21.45 Monday night caused extensive damage, with firemen called to two houses in Bern that were struck by lightning, which also hit a swimming pool and electric line. Roads were closed and cellars flooded in canton Lucern. A pork house was hit by lightning on a Lucern farm, but the 200 pigs were saved, reports ats/romandie.
Damage from the 23 July hail storm that hit Vaud and central Switzerland is now estimated at CHF180 million, TSR reports.
