No fewer than 17 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 that the death toll may climb as emergency rescue efforts continue, with 11 people reported missing.
On Sunday, footage showed people slogging through heavy mud in the landslide-hit resort town of Gapyeong as they attempted to cross a collapsed bridge to evacuation shelters.
According to camera footage from Saturday, a landslip in the central Chungcheong region destroyed an entire community.
The majority of the destruction has occurred in the country’s south, with six people killed and seven missing in Sancheong.
Raging floodwaters have damaged and flooded thousands of roads and structures, and there have been reports of agriculture devastation and widespread livestock deaths.
Since the downpour began on Wednesday, about 10,000 people have evacuated their houses across the region, and more than 41,000 families have temporarily lost power, according to local media reports.
The rain has mostly stopped in the worst-hit southern and central districts, but the downpours pushed north overnight, and further heavy rain is anticipated in the capital Seoul and northern provinces on Sunday.
On Sunday, President Lee Jae-myung declared the worst-hit districts as special disaster zones, and the government initiated a multi-agency rehabilitation effort.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung urged local authorities to activate “all available resources” immediately.
According to AFP, a landslip in northern Gapyeong County killed two individuals after many properties were buried in mud.
The rain is expected to stop late on Sunday, but it will be followed by a severe heat.
