South Korea: 17 killed, 11 missing in heavy rains, landslides

Seoul, July 20 Seventeen people have been killed and 11 have gone missing in the heavy rains and landslides that began across South Korea four days ago, the government said Sunday.

The data from the interior ministry and the National Fire Agency, as of 6 pm Sunday, also showed that a large portion of the toll -- 10 dead and four missing -- occurred in the southern county of Sancheong.

The other deaths occurred in Osan and Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province; Seosan, South Chungcheong Province; Dangjin, South Chungcheong; and the southwestern city of Gwangju.

Firefighting officials said rescue work was still underway in Sancheong, which could lead to a change in the toll.

Torrential rains have slammed the nation since Wednesday, with Sancheong receiving an accumulated 793.5 millimetres of rain as of 5 p.m. Sunday. The adjacent county of Hapcheon has received 699 mm, while the nearby county of Hadong has received 621.5 mm.

On a daily basis, Gapyeong, 55 kilometres northeast of Seoul, received an accumulated 197.5 mm of rain, the most for Sunday.

Authorities have registered 1,999 cases of flooded roads, soil loss and destroyed public facilities, and 2,238 other cases of damage to private property, such as buildings and farmland.

A total of 13,492 people have taken shelter across 15 major cities and provinces. A total of 62 flights were cancelled.

Authorities expected showers to fall late Sunday in some areas of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces but lifted the highest stage of its emergency response system as of 6 pm.

Earlier in the day, the South Korean President, Lee Jae Myung, instructed the government to find ways to swiftly designate areas hit hard by recent heavy rains as special disaster zones, according to his spokesperson.

Special disaster zones are entitled to government support for damage recovery and victims' relief.

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