The bodies were pulled from the mud in Tochang in the mountains of Hsinshu County where over 20 houses were destroyed by a landslide triggered by the typhoon late Wednesday, rescue official Lin Guan-cheng said.

The typhoon left at least 24 people dead and nine others missing presumed dead in Taiwan. Extreme weather linked to Aere also left 12 dead or missing in the Philippines, two dead in Japan and one dead in China.

Another typhoon, Chaba, caused high waves in southern Japan Thursday that swept away and killed two swimmers, police said. It was expected to hit Okinawa on Friday.

Aere, packing winds of 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour, ripped through the southern islands of Japan Monday before buffeting Taiwan and slamming into southeastern China on Wednesday.

The Hong Kong Observatory Thursday downgraded Aere to a tropical storm which it said was moving towards China's southeastern Guangdong province.

In remote villages in Hsinshu county of Taiwan, stunned villagers were plucked to safety by helicopters as days of torrential rain threatened fresh landslides.

"We had lived such a peaceful life in the past 20 years and now ... it came so suddenly ... like a nightmare," a sobbing woman told reporters after being airlifted to safety from the stricken village of Tochang.

The Central Weather Bureau said the typhoon had dumped 1,335 millimeters (53.4 inches) of rain on Hsinchu in three days, prompting the government to issue landslide warnings to 80 towns and villages.

Among the other victims in Taiwan was a preacher who had been washed away by floods in central Nantou County. His body was recovered Thursday but his wife is still missing and presumed dead.

Financial markets, schools and offices have been shut for two days in Taiwan as thousands of people in low-lying and mountainous areas were evacuated after flooding and landslides.

In China authorities were Thursday mopping up after sustaining heavy damage from the typhoon however only one man was reported missing.

Early reports indicated that a decision by authorities to evacuate more than one million people before Aere made land in Fujian province paid off, with houses and infrastructure demolished but a limited human toll.

"We have only seen seven minor injuries and no deaths so far," a Fujian provincial government spokeswoman told AFP.

"The seven were slightly hurt by falling houses, trees or advertising hoardings," she said.

Damage though was heavy with 8,270 houses destroyed and 46,800 hectares (115,600 acres) of farmland ruined. The Fujian Water Resources Department said on its website that six reservoirs were badly damaged and 50 dams had been breached.

In total, the province moved 937,000 people to safety while neighbouring Zhijiang, fearing a repeat of the chaos caused by Typhoon Rananim that left 164 dead just weeks ago, evacuated 249,000.

Zhejiang reported only one person missing as Aere blew itself southwards.

Aere also took its toll on the Philippines, where schools and government offices remained closed in Manila Thursday as emergency workers toiled to restore order after two days of typhoon-induced bad weather.

Some 12 people were dead or missing while thousands were at government-run evacuation centers after soldiers plucked them from flooded residential areas in suburban Manila.

Southern Japan, meanwhile, was bracing for Typhoon Chaba after Aere caused the deaths of two young girls on Tuesday when they were swept away by heavy seas in the south.

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