South Korea: At least 26 dead following landslides and flood

At least 26 people have died and 10 more are still missing in South Korea as a result of days of intense rain, the authorities reported on Saturday. According to a report from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the 26 fatalities were all recorded on Friday and Saturday and occurred in the central and southeast areas. Five persons reportedly perished on Saturday morning when landslides brought on by heavy rains buried their homes. Two more people perished as a result of landslides. The most recent ministry report, however, omitted any details about the causes of the new fatalities. According to ministry authorities, since Tuesday, 10 persons have been reported missing and 13 have been wounded as a result of the excessive rains. Since then, South Korea has seen torrential rainfall since July 9.

According to the ministry data, the recent rains forced roughly 5,570 individuals to leave and left 25,470 families without electricity. It stated that as of Saturday night, more than 4,200 individuals were still housed in makeshift shelters. Additionally, on Saturday, the ministry said that 20 flights had been cancelled as well as the suspension of parts of the nation's bullet trains and conventional rail operations. Nearly 200 routes were still reported to be blocked. According to South Korea's meteorological service, certain areas may continue to see severe rain through Sunday. President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was in Ukraine on Saturday, urged that Prime Minister Han Duck-soo mobilise all available resources to address the problem, according to Yoon's office. With more than 600 millimetres (24 inches) of rain falling in the county of Cheongyang and the city of Gongju since July 9, respectively, the central areas saw the most rainfall.