Ragasa: 'No warning', say Taiwan residents after typhoon bursts mountain lake

People in the path of a deadly wall of water stood little chance - survivors are shocked at what happened.

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"It was like a river outside and cars were floating. Everything started drifting," said the 42-year-old bookstore owner. The couple sought refuge on the second floor of their shop in Guangfu township, trying to save as many books as possible.

"I'm still in shock. I just can't imagine how this could have happened," she said.

Like many Taiwanese, Awa is reeling from the unexpected deadly destruction caused by Super Typhoon Ragasa, even though the island was not in the direct path of the strongest storm the world has seen this year.

The breaching of a barrier lake – formed after landslides triggered by another typhoon blocked rivers in a remote mountain valley in July – is the main cause of extensive damage in the eastern county of Hualien, said Huang Chao Chin, the deputy commander of Taiwan's Central Emergency Operation Centre.