Shock and anger gripped Taiwan yesterday following the discovery of a kidnapped girl's body in a ditch.

The death of 17-year-old Pai Hsiao-yen stunned the country, with television stations broadcasting live coverage into the night.

Police did not say how the only child of bubbly television celebrity Pai Ping-ping died.

She was discovered naked in a drainage ditch near the industrial suburb of Wuku outside Taipei yesterday afternoon.

The body, which had been weighted down to keep it under water, had been decomposing for up to five days, said medical examiner Yang Jih-sung.

Ms Pai later confirmed it was her daughter, Criminal Investigation Bureau Director-General Yang Tzu-ching said.

Many in Taiwan had interpreted the case as a test of the Government's resolve to turn back the tide of rising crime.