At least 14 people have died in floods and landslides caused by days of torrential rain in South Korea, the country’s disaster management office has said.
There are fears the death toll could rise as rescue efforts continue, with 12 people reported missing.
Footage showed people wading through thick mud in the landslide-hit resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday as they made their way across a damaged bridge to evacuation shelters.
Further south, an entire village was covered with earth and debris following a landslide in the central Chungcheon region, according to video taken in the area on Saturday.
Nearly 10,000 people have evacuated their homes since the downpour began on Wednesday, while more than 41,000 households have temporarily lost power, as reported by local media.
The rain has largely subsided in the worst-hit southern and central areas, but more downpours are expected in capital Seoul and the country’s northern regions on Sunday.
Thousands of roads and buildings have been damaged and submerged by raging floodwaters, with reports of damage to farmland and the widespread death of livestock.
Much of the destruction has been in the country’s south, with six people killed and seven missing in Sancheong county.
Casualties have also occurred in a northern mountainous region near Seoul, as well as other western and northern areas.
Two people were killed and four were reported missing in Gapyeong on Sunday after a landslide engulfed properties.
Sixty-three people have been rescued while 285 others evacuated the area, Gyeonggi Province Fire Department said.
Serious landslide warnings have been issued in several regions nationwide.
The government launched a multi-agency recovery effort on Sunday.
Source:BBC
