TAIPEI: Taiwan's political storm surrounding Typhoon Morakot gained force yesterday as the "defense minister" and "cabinet secretary" offered to resign over the government's slow emergency response.

A new poll suggested 46 percent of people in Taiwan had no confidence in the government's ability to handle reconstruction efforts as Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's approval rating dropped to a near record low of 29 percent.

The number of confirmed dead meanwhile rose to 136, but Ma has warned the death toll could climb to more than 500, with 380 people feared buried by mudslides in the southern village of Hsiaolin alone.