Some 100,000 people are reportedly homeless. The official death toll has already risen to more than 1,700 and, with at least 3,000 people still buried, is expected to rise far higher. The worst affected areas are the Nantou and Taichung counties, known in Taiwan for their mountains and tourist resorts. Rescue efforts have been delayed and interrupted by the isolation of the region. All telecommunication links were cut, roads twisted or severed and power lines downed.
Rescue workers have little heavy equipment.
Reports have already appeared of families trying to dig loved-ones out of the rubble by hand. Hospitals in the area have no power and morgues are not functioning. Bodies are being piled up in the open and are decomposing. Helicopters operated throughout yesterday flying in emergency medical supplies and flying out casualties and corpses. But flights were stopped last night due to potential dangers to the crews.