Heavy rains in South Korea leave 17 dead and 11 others missing

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Torrential rains that slammed South Korea for five days have left 17 people dead and 11 others missing, the government said Sunday.

One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town northeast of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said.

The ministry said 10 people were discovered dead and four others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong over the weekend after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods there.

A ministry report said that one person died in the southern city of Gwangju. It said that seven others remain missing in Gwangju, Gapyeong and elsewhere.

Earlier last week, a person was also killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. Three others were found dead in a submerged car, a swollen stream and a flooded basement in southern South Chungcheong province.

As of 4 p.m. on Sunday, about 2,730 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. The rain stopped in most of South Korea on Sunday, and heavy rain alerts have been subsequently lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said.

Since Wednesday, southern regions have received up to about 600-800 millimeters (24-31 inches) of rain, according to the ministry report.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed deep sympathy to those who lost their loved ones and suffered financial damage due to the heavy downpours. Lee said the government will push to designate areas hit hard it by the downpours as special disaster zones. The designation would provide them with greater financial and other recovery support from the government.