(13 Aug 09 - RV) Hundreds of villagers fled their homes minutes before a flood-created
lake burst today, while Taiwan's military airlifted more survivors from remote
villages devastated in mudslides during last weekend's typhoon.
The military
sent 4,000 new troops to join another 16,000 soldiers already working to save thousands
of survivors stranded in several villages in the island's south.
Rescue
efforts have been slow because many bridges and roads to hard-hit villages collapsed
or were washed away, and public complaints about the pace of rescue efforts have been
rising.
The official death toll in Taiwan stands at 108, with 61 listed
as missing.
Spokeperson for the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies, Patrick Fuller told us more about the relief operation.