20090813 Morakot kills 103, injures 45 in Taiwan

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn TAIPEI:The death toll in Taiwan after typhoon Morakot swept across the island surged to 103 as of 9 p.m. Wednesday after rescuers found 32 bodies in southern Kaohsiung County, local media reported. At least 61 people are missing and another 45 injured after Typhoon Morakot, the worst in the region for half a century, wreaked havoc across the central and southern regions, local disaster-relief authorities said. Typhoon Morakot has caused more than 8.8 billion New Taiwan Dollars (about 267 million U.S. dollars) in agricultural damage, according to local agricultural authorities. Hundreds of roads and bridges on the island have been destroyed by floods, and disaster-relief centers have dispatched helicopters to transport villagers and air-drop goods in those regions. People from a wide range of social sectors including government, enterprises, entertainment and TV stations have donated cash and goods worth millions of New Taiwan Dollars to support the disaster-relief work.