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Typhoon death toll to cross 500

— PHOTO: Xinhua

In full swing: Relief work on a bridge linking Xinkai village in Kaohsiung of Taiwan on Friday.

BEIJING: The death toll in Taiwan from the typhoon Morakot which devastated the island this week could cross 500, officials said on Friday as rescue workers battled to save hundreds still left buried under mudslips.

Taiwan’s leader Ma Ying-jeou said 380 of those feared dead were from a single village Hsiaolin in Taiwan’s south. As of Friday morning, 118 people had been confirmed dead, with hundreds others missing.

Around 50,000 troops have been moved into affected areas. Mr. Ma said at least 2,000 people had been airlifted into safety on Friday. But he has faced criticism in Taiwan for his administration’s response to the typhoon, with some saying preparations by authorities were inadequate.

Officials said the damage could cost Taiwan at least $3 billion. Morakot also struck south-eastern China this week, but the damage there was far less. Officials on Friday said China would lend significant financial support to help Taiwan recover, and would also send across rescue and healthcare teams to the island. On Friday, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), a group which has worked to improve ties between the two estranged neighbours, pledged 100 million Yuan ($14.6 million) in relief.

Relations between China and Taiwan have improved significantly in recent months. The two neighbours have been ruled separately since 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was established and Kuomintang (KMT) leader Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taipei.

China does not recognise Taiwan’s independence. Under the leadership of Mr. Ma, who has called for a closer relationship, commercial ties have boomed.

Last month, the leaders of China and Taiwan for the first time in six decades exchanged direct contact following Mr. Ma’s election victory as chief of Taiwan’s ruling KMT party.

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