25 dead, 6 missing in Taiwan in wake of typhoon.

TAIPEI, Sept. 17 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING FIGURES, CONFIRMING THAT SCHOOLS, OFFICES AND STOCK EXCHANGE WILL BE CLOSED TUES.)

At least 25 people have died and six have gone missing in Taiwan as record rainfall brought on by Typhoon Nari triggered mudslides and massive flooding on the northern part of the island, the National Fire Administration said Monday.

Ten of the fatalities occurred in Taipei, which saw its worst flooding in half a century. Vast parts of downtown Taipei were under water with people wading through waist-high water.

Hundreds of cars were stranded on the capital's flooded expressways. The subway system was completely shut down, with the Nankang Line to the city's east reportedly partly submerged.

Railroad traffic across the island was almost completely suspended, while most domestic flights and several international flights were canceled or delayed.

The flooding also disrupted fixed-line and cellular phone services and temporarily left more than one million households without electricity.

With soil saturated from the incessant heavy downpour, mudslides continued to hit the island throughout the day.

Offices and schools in northern and central Taiwan were closed for the day and those in the northern part of the island will stay closed Tuesday.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange, which suspended trading for a day last week following the terrorist attacks in the United States, was also closed for the day and will remain closed Tuesday.

Five people were buried alive in two separate mudslides in Taipei and four more drowned in the flooded city, the National Fire Administration said. Fatalities were also reported in Taipei County  and the northern port city Keelung.

Early Monday, the Central Weather Bureau downgraded Nari to a light typhoon, but warned the record rainfall could aggravate already heavy flooding and increase the risk of mudslides.

On Monday afternoon, Nari's center was some 40 kilometers southeast of Taichung in central Taiwan and was moving slowly southwest at just 4 km per hour.

Typhoon Nari was expected to move into the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday afternoon, the Central Weather Bureau said.

Yangmingshan, a wealthy suburb in the mountains north of Taipei, saw almost 1,000 millimeters of rainfall Sunday through Monday morning.

Other areas of the city of Taipei and Taipei County registered more than 700 mm of rain. The Keelung River and other streams in northern Taiwan jumped their banks in many locations, flooding lower-lying areas up to two stories.

Firefighters used rubber boats to evacuate thousands of citizens from their flooded homes.

Nari's onslaught came just weeks after Typhoon Toraji, which hit Taiwan at the end of July, left more than 200 people dead or missing, mainly in eastern and central Taiwan.

While damage to property and losses from production shortfalls has yet to be estimated, the flooding is sure to deal a further blow to Taiwan's hopes for an early recovery from the current economic slump.