Torrential rain brought by Typhoon Xangsane wrought havoc across the island yesterday, killing at least 44.
Flooding along the Keelung River killed at least 29, including 14 elderly people who were trapped in a basement nursing home in Keelung.
Housed in a basement complex, the 14 residents drowned when water from the flooded Keelung River rushed in too fast for them to escape, according to the National Fire Administration.
"They were elderly and could not move quickly enough," an administration official said.
Up to 15 disciples were believed to have drowned at a Taoist temple also in Keelung, when water rushed into their basement lodgings, according to the administration.
At the time of this report last night, none of their bodies had been recovered. Rescue personnel worked late into the evening, pumping water out of the basement deathtraps.
Officials say the death toll could continue to rise.
Landslides and flash flooding in Taipei county buried 10 people alive as heavy rains loosened earth and rock in the mountains around the capital. Another four people were killed in separate flood-related incidents around the nation, according to the administration.
Eleven people were reported missing, including a family of five whose house was washed away by fast-moving flood waters, according to media reports.
Flood waters forced military personnel to rescue more than 1,000 people living in Keelung near the river. Electricity transmission stations at Patu and near Keelung and Nankang were out of commission, cutting power to roughly 320,000 homes.
Despite earlier fears that the stations may take one or two days to repair, Taipower executives said that most of the equipment would be repaired during the night.
Flooding took its toll on the island's power, cutting electricity to around 1.5 million households nationwide. But by early evening yesterday, just 440,000 houses remained without power and Taipower executives said that 30,000 to 40,000 homes would have to weather the night without electricity.
Hsichih, a place always hit hard by flooding when heavy rains fall, saw waters rise two storeys high, forcing people onto rooftops and leading local officials to comment that it was worst flooding the town had seen in 10 years.
In Hsintien, flood waters climbed as high as the second story of some buildings, leading people to wave down rescue personnel passing by in inflatable boats.
On the flooded streets, fire and police personnel shared the waterways with partially submerged cars and debris, including a large number of heating gas tanks, some of which spewed their contents into the air through punctured sides.
The Council of Agricultural Affairs put initial estimates of total damage to the agriculture industry at around NT$1.4 million, with Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pintung counties taking the brunt of the damage.
As of midday yesterday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications had suspended all rail service along the west coast until 6pm and canceled all services along the eastern coast for the whole day.
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