Heavy rain in South Korea has killed at least 17 people, with 11 others still unaccounted for, after days of intense downpours triggered landslides and flash flooding across the country.
Close to 170mm (6.7in) of rain fell on the resort town of Gapyeong county in Gyeonggi province, 40 miles east of Seoul, early on Sunday. A landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles as the region was hit by the fifth day of torrential rain.
The confirmed death toll rose as bodies of those previously reported missing – many swept away in landslides – were recovered, according to official data. The downpours began on Wednesday, mainly affecting southern and central parts of the country, before spreading to northern regions on Sunday morning.
A woman in her 70s was killed when her house collapsed in a landslide in Gapyeong, the Yonhap news agency reported. Most of the deaths have been in the southern county of Sancheong, which has received nearly 800mm of rain since Wednesday.
South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July and is usually well prepared, but this week it saw some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record. The national weather forecaster said the downpours are likely to be followed by a heatwave. Scientists say the climate crisis has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world. In 2022, record-breaking rains and flooding in South Korea killed at least 11 people.
