South Korea floods: eight bodies pulled from road tunnel

Eight bodies have been retrieved from a tunnel in South Korea after days of heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides, killing at least 35 people and forcing thousands to evacuate, officials said on Sunday.

About 15 vehicles remained trapped in the tunnel in the central city of Cheongju, where hundreds of rescue workers searched for more survivors.

The vehicles, including a bus, were swamped by a flash flood on Saturday evening, said Seo Jeong-il, chief of the city’s fire department.

Photos and a video from the scene showed rescue workers pumping brown water out of the tunnel as divers used rubber boats to move in and out of the area.

In all, nine bodies have now been pulled from the tunnel, including one retrieved on Saturday, Reuters said.

Yang Chan-mo, an official from the North Chungcheong provincial fire department, said it could take several hours to pump out all of the water from the tunnel, which was also filled with mud and other debris.

Workers were proceeding slowly with the work on Sunday to prevent any victims or survivors from being swept out, Mr Yang said.

Rescuers search for survivors along a road submerged by floodwaters leading to an underground tunnel in Cheongju, South Korea, on Sunday. Yonhap/AP

Nine survivors were rescued from the tunnel and 11 others were believed to be missing, although the exact number of passengers trapped in vehicles was not immediately clear, Mr Seo said.

Since July 9, heavy rainfall has forced more than 6,100 people to leave their homes, and left 27,260 households without electricity, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said. At least 22 people were being treated for injuries.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a trip to Europe, discussed the casualties and damages during an emergency meeting while travelling to Poland on a train after visiting Ukraine on Saturday, according to his office.

Mr Yoon called for officials to call on all available resources to respond to the disaster.