Rescue Saves 1,000 in Taiwan

A Taiwanese rescue operation has recovered over 1,000 people alive in three villages devastated by mudslides in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, which dumped over 80 inches of rain on the island over the weekend. "We are anxious to do our best to get the trapped people out... [but] hopes are getting slimmer as the days go by," said a spokesperson for the relief operations. Most of the survivors were found in the villages of Min Tzu, Chin He, and Shiao Lin. The future looks bleak for anyone who still remains in the villages. Video taken by TV station ETTV showed the village of Shiao Lin buried by mudslides, with only two of its structures left standing. The only sign of life, the ETTV video showed, was a cat hiding in the rubble. The typhoon death toll stands at 93 people; it also forced the evacuation of 1.5 million in the Philippines, Taiwan and China and destroyed approximately 10,000 homes.