By Zoila Palma: At least two people have died and more than 260 others were trapped after a mountain lake burst its banks in eastern Taiwan as Super Typhoon Ragasa swept past the island. Ragasa, the strongest storm of 2025 and equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, has battered Taiwan’s coast since Monday with destructive winds and torrential rains. Packing wind gusts up to 285 km/h (177 mph), it has triggered widespread warnings of floods, landslides, and storm surges across the region. The storm is now barreling toward southern China, where 370,000 people have already been evacuated from Guangdong province. Authorities warn of storm surges as high as five meters, with schools and businesses closed in advance of Wednesday’s landfall.