Seventeen dead and 11 missing after torrential rain in South Korea

Torrential rain that battered South Korea for five days has left 17 people dead and 11 others missing, the government has said.

One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town north-east of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said.

The ministry said 10 people were discovered dead and four others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong over the weekend after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods.

A ministry report said one person died in the southern city of Gwangju. It said seven others remain missing in Gwangju, Gapyeong and elsewhere.

Earlier last week, a person was 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. Three others were found dead in a submerged car, a swollen stream and a flooded basement in southern South Chungcheong province.

As of 4pm local time on Sunday, about 2,730 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said.

But the rain has stopped in most of South Korea and heavy rain alerts have subsequently been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said.

Since Wednesday, southern regions have received 24-31in of rain, according to the ministry report.

President Lee Jae Myung expressed deep sympathy to those who lost their loved ones and suffered financial damage due to the heavy downpours.

He said the government will push to designate areas hit hard as special disaster zones, which would provide them with greater financial and other recovery support.