Six dead, thousands evacuated in Taiwan floods

Six people have been killed by floodwaters in Taiwan, officials said, after days of heavy rain forced thousands to evacuate their homes.

A tropical depression has been dumping torrential rain in central and southern Taiwan since Thursday, with some districts receiving close to 1,000 millimetres (39 inches) of rainfall. Six have died in the storm so far, according to government figures, including three who were killed by a falling scaffold in the southern city of Kaohsiung. Almost 100 more were injured.

More than 6,000 people were evacuated with more than 1,100 still in shelters yesterday morning, officials said.