New barrier lake on Matai'an Creek believed to have burst, residents evacuated

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) A newly formed barrier lake on Matai'an Creek in Hualien County appeared to have burst Tuesday night, with earlier warnings resulting in the evacuation of nearly 100 residents downstream.

At around 9 p.m., a micro-seismograph detected water movement suggesting a possible overflow, the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said. The situation is still under observation.

A total of 97 residents from the downstream Atomo community in Dongfu Village were evacuated by 7 p.m., according to the Guangfu Township Office.

Although the 97 evacuees were relocated to either a township shelter or stayed with relatives, five other residents chose to move to the upper floor of their homes, the office said.

Meanwhile, a temporary access road near Matai'an Creek Bridge on Provincial Highway No. 9 was closed at 7:30 p.m., the Highway Bureau's Eastern Region Branch Office said.

According to Hualien County government, the new lake formed earlier Tuesday and was expected to overflow within 24 hours.

It has a capacity of around 600,000 tons of water, far smaller than the main Matai'an Creek barrier lake around a kilometer upstream, which overflowed and collapsed last month causing 19 fatalities.