South Korean rescuers retrieved nine dead from a flooded tunnel where approximately 15 vehicles were stranded in murky water on Sunday, as days of torrential rain caused flash floods and landslides across the country, officials said.
Since July 9, when torrential rain began hitting South Korea's central provinces, 37 people have perished and hundreds have been evacuated.
Seo Jeong-il, chief of the city's fire department, said in a briefing that over 900 rescuers, including divers, were scouring the tunnel in the central city of Cheongju, where the vehicles, including a bus, were drowned by a flash flood Saturday evening.
According to fire authorities, the tunnel filled with water in as little as two or three minutes.
Photos and video from the site showed rescue personnel constructing a cordon and pumping brown water out of the tunnel while divers moved in and out using rubber boats.
Yang Chan-mo, a fire department official in North Chungcheong province, said it may take several hours to pump out all the water from the tunnel, which was still packed with 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16.4 feet) of water laden with mud and other debris. Yang stated that workers were moving cautiously in order to avoid any casualties or survivors from getting washed out.
According to Seo, nine survivors were retrieved from the tunnel, and about ten people were reported missing based on information from relatives or others, but the actual number of passengers trapped in cars was not immediately apparent.
Since July 9, the South Chungcheong province municipalities of Gongju and Cheongyang had received more than 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) of rain. During the same time period, Cheongju, where the tunnel is located, got more than 54 centimeters (21.2 inches).
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the central and southern portions of the country could still get up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain through Tuesday.
Over 8,850 individuals have been evacuated, and 27,260 houses have been without power for many days. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the rain damaged or destroyed roughly 50 roads and more than a hundred dwellings. At least 35 individuals were injured and sent to the hospital.
According to his office, President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a tour to Europe, reviewed the rain-related fatalities and damages during an emergency meeting while going to Poland on a train after visiting Ukraine on Saturday. Yoon demanded that government utilize all available resources to deal with the tragedy.
