Torrential rain in Taiwan kills five over past week

Taipei: Storms dumped more than two metres of rain in parts of Taiwan over the past week, killing five people and triggering floods and landslides in...

Taipei: Storms dumped more than two metres of rain in parts of Taiwan over the past week, killing five people and triggering floods and landslides in central and southern areas, authorities said Monday.

Torrential rain has lashed swathes of the island since July 28, forcing several thousand people to seek shelter, damaging roads, and shuttering offices.

Maolin, a mountainous district in southern Taiwan, recorded more than 2.8 metres (nine feet) of rain since July 28, the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

That's more than Taiwan's annual rainfall of 2.1 metres last year, according to the agency's data.

It was the first time since 1998 that "Taiwan has seen seven consecutive days each with over 200 millimetres (7.9 inches) of rainfall," said Chen Yi-liang, director of CWA's weather forecasting centre.