At least 26 dead, over 5,500 displaced in monsoon rain

Evacuees remain stranded in a makeshift evacuation center in Gongju, North Chungcheong Province. (Yonhap)

Monsoon rain left at least 26 people dead and 10 others missing, with more than 5,500 people forced to abandon their homes as nearly 300 millimeters of rain swept South Korea on Saturday.

As of 10 p.m., 17 deaths were confirmed in North Gyeongsang Province, four each in North and South Chungcheong Province and one in the administrative capital of Sejong City, according to figures from the Central Disaster and Countermeasures Headquarters at 11 p.m.

The death toll rose by four in the past five hours, as people who were reported missing in North Gyeongsang Province and North Chungcheong Province were found to have died. The number of people still missing is 10 as of the latest estimate.

Thirteen people were injured by the storms.

This photo shows drain work being conducted at the underpass where more than a dozen of vehicles are believed to be sunk due to torrential downpour in Cheongju, North Chungcheon Province, on Saturday. (Yonhap)

The figures do not include those related to a flooded underpass in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, where at least 15 vehicles are trapped -- including one bus and two trucks. Police said 11 people had been reported missing as of 9 p.m. One was found dead and nine were rescued at the scene, according to Korea Fire Service rescuers. The CDC headquarters are still working to confirm the figures.

The downpour has left 5,566 people displaced so far, with over three-quarters unable to return home as of 10 p.m.

Nearly 25,500 households were affected by the power outages since Thursday and 94 percent of them were recovered as of 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, over the past five hours, the government reported 15 more cases of damage to public infrastructure including road loss, soil erosion, river embankment collapse, flooding, sink holes, as well as 23 reports of damage to private property such as houses and fishing boats. Fifty-seven more roads were closed in the past five hours.

This shows a village in Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province, flooded by torrential rain on Saturday. (Yonhap)

This came as most of the nation is under the influence of torrential downpour late into the night.

Some parts of the Chungcheong region saw over 200 millimeters of rain in less than a day. Gongju, Chungcheong Province, had the most rain, with 298 millimeters falling from midnight Friday until 10 p.m. Saturday.

The city has received 625 millimeters of precipitation over the past week.

The safety headquarters said in a statement that southern regions -- North and South Jeolla Provinces and North and South Gyeongsang Provinces -- were seeing up to 40 millimeters of precipitation per hour.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)