Death toll from heavy rains rises to 22 in S. Korea

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc across the country since Aug. 1 amid the prolonged monsoon season.

President Moon Jae-in on Friday designated seven devastated areas as special disaster zones, making them eligible for state support in recovery efforts.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said 20 people had died and 12 gone missing due to heavy rains over the week as of 6 a.m. Saturday, as three more people were killed and two went missing on Friday night in a landslide that hit a village in Gokseong, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul.

Later on Saturday, one missing woman was pulled from the debris but died at a hospital and the other was found dead.

The death toll did not include the casualties from three capsized vessels at Uiam Dam in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, which left one dead and five missing on Thursday. It was categorized as a marine accident.

On Saturday afternoon, two of the missing people, one policeman and a rescue worker, were found dead.

The agency also said a total of 3,059 people has been left homeless as of 6 a.m., an increase of more than 500 from the previous day.

A total of 8,246 cases of property damage was reported, up 2,084 cases, including 287 homes and 1,489 roads and bridges. Repair work has been completed for 72.5 percent of the damage cases.

The agency said 51 roads and five railways across the country were blocked as of Saturday morning.