Her father, who was arrested following the incident on Saturday, could face the death penalty, a prosecutor said later.

Despite intensive efforts by doctors to try to save the girl, who suffered second and third-degree burns over 84 percent of her body, she died of multiple organ failure, according to doctors at Changhua Christian Hospital in central Taiwan's Changhua City.

With consent of her mother, who did not want her daughter to continue to suffer the immense pain, the girl was pronounced dead after doctors took her off a life-support system at 10:05 a.m.

The baby had been in critical condition since being rushed to the hospital by her mother after her father, surnamed Huang, did the unimaginable act during an argument with her mother.

The infant's mother, identified only by her family name of Lin, immediately scooped the baby out of the pot in the noodle shop they owned and rushed to a nearby police station for help, whereupon officers immediately sent the baby to the hospital's burn center.

The father, 47, is being held on a homicide charge, and would face either the death penalty, life imprisonment or a jail term of over 15 years, Chang Hui-chung, a prosecutor at the Changhua Prosecutors Office. "The punishment will be 50 percent more severe because the victim is a small child," said Chang. The case has ignited anger from people across the country who questioned how someone could harm a child in such a way. Many people prayed for the girl, with some religious people maintaining a vigil at the hospital. Nurses were in tears as they changed the baby's bandages, seeing the pain she was going through.

The incident has also raised concerns about the increase in violence against children in Taiwan since the economic downturn began to be widely felt last year on the island, which is suffering from record unemployment and a sharp decline in GDP and exports.

The nonprofit Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) said earlier this month that as the economy has worsened, it has observed a growing rate of domestic violence against children, triggered primarily by a lack of parenting skills, unemployment, and poverty.

As of March, 46 cases of domestic violence involving 73 children, including eight who died, have been reported this year in the local media. The TFCF urged parents who are on edge to seek professional help or take some time away from their children.

In the wake of the incident, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) on Monday announced it will expand its databank of high-risk families and increase funding and manpower to prevent domestic violence from occurring. Interior Minister Liao Liou-yi said more families considered at risk will be entered into an MOI databank and be tracked. These are families with young children where the parents are alcoholic or addicted to drugs or are known to fight frequently.

It is reported that the parents of the little girl had a fierce argument after the woman blasted Huang for being lazy.

The baby's father has a history of drunkenness and neighbors said the couple, who are not married but have lived together for 12 years, often argued. The couple have another older daughter besides the baby girl. That daughter, a fifth grader, was placed with a foster family by county social welfare officials following the incident.

The baby's mother, on Tuesday, thanked all walks of life for their care, encouragement and support over the past four days, but some people believe she also has responsibility because she allegedly taunted the father into carrying out the act.

(By Lilian Wu and Flor Wang)