Taiwan ? Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou sharply raised the expected death toll from Typhoon Morakot on Friday to more than 500, amid mounting criticism of his handling of the worst storm to strike the island in over 50 years.

Ma gave the new estimate to a national security conference, the first called since he took office 15 months ago.

It dramatically raised the previous toll by concluding that 380 of about 600 people living in the mountainous village of Shiao Lin in southern Taiwan perished when flash flooding unleashed calamitous mudslides that buried the community early Sunday.

National security conferences are only held when Taiwan faces extremely serious disasters or grave situations in defense or diplomatic affairs.