More than 700 people are trapped, possibly dead, in two southern Taiwan villages engulfed by mudslides after typhoon Morakot swamped the island, Reuters quoted the military as saying today. More than 90 people, including 50 in Taiwan, have been confirmed dead since Morakot and tropical storm Etau cut a swathe through the region. Media reports said another three were killed in the crash of a helicopter, the only means of ferrying victims out of districts where all roads had been washed out. Heavy rain in China toppled more than 10,000 dwellings. Hu Jui-chou, a Taiwanese army major-general involved in rescue operations, said those trapped included people buried by a massive landslide in Hsiao Lin, a village of 1,000 in mountainous Kaohsiung county. Many were also trapped in a second village, Namahsia.
