18 killed, 9 missing in heavy rains, landslides

Over a dozen people have been killed and 9 others are missing following heavy rain and landslides across the country.

President Lee Jae Myung has called on the government to find ways to swiftly designate areas hit hard as special disaster zones.

Lee Seung-jae has more.

18 people have been killed and 9 others are missing after heavy rain across South Korea, beginning last week, and subsequent flooding and landslides.

The latest figures were announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency on Monday, with the southern county of Sancheong seeing the largest number of victims with 10 dead and 4 missing.

Firefighting officials say rescue operations are still underway there.

Torrential downpours have slammed the country since Wednesday, with Sancheong receiving an accumulated 793-point-5 millimeters of rain as of 5 PM Sunday.

The other deaths occurred in Osan and Gapyeong in Gyeonggi-do Province, Seosan and Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do Province, and the southwestern city of Gwangju.

Since last week, authorities have reported 1-thousand-999 cases of flooded roads, soil loss and destroyed public facilities, with 2-thousand-238 other cases of damage to private property.

Over 14 thousand people have been taken to shelters across 15 major cities and provinces, while 62 flights were cancelled.

In response to the nationwide damage,.. President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday, instructed the government to find ways to swiftly designate the areas that were hit hardest as special disaster zones.

Areas designated as special disaster zones are entitled to government support for damage recovery and victim relief.

Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.