South Korea: Death toll from rains rises to 14

Relentless rain in South Korea has left at least 14 dead and 12 others missing, authorities said Sunday.

An Interior and Safety Ministry report said southern regions received around 24-31 inches (600-800 millimeters) of rain since Wednesday.

Heavy rains and flooding battered the town of Sancheong in the south of the countryImage: Kim Dong-chun/Yonhap/AP/picture alliance

What do we know about impacted regions?

The town of Sancheong in the south of the country recorded eight deaths after heavy downpours caused landslides.

Six others were still missing in the region, after flash floods destroyed homes in the area.

In Gapyeong, a town northeast of Seoul, one person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed.

Another person was found dead after being swept by a swollen stream in the town, which received 6.7 inches (170 millimeters) of rain on Sunday alone.

But the dayslong deluge of rain finally subsided Sunday, with rain having stopped in most of the country.

Heavy rain alerts have been subsequently lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. 

When did rains begin?

Heavy rainfall began this Wednesday, steadily forcing more people to evacuate their homes, with 3,840 having evacuated as of Sunday. Flights were also canceled.

Earlier this week, three people were found dead in a submerged car, and 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.

South Korea usually sees monsoon rains in July. However, this year the country has seen more intense rains. Official weather data said this year saw some of the heaviest rainfall per hour on record.

Scientists say climate change is responsible for making such  weather events both more frequent and more extreme.

In 2022, heavy rains and flooding in the country left at least 11 people dead that year.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar