Landslide alerts raised to ‘serious’ nationwide except for Jeju

A landslide devastates Beolbang-ri village in Gamcheon-myeon, Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. (Yonhap)

Landslide alerts have been raised to the highest level in all parts of South Korea, except for Jeju Island, as torrential rain continued Sunday.

The nation's weather agency raised landslide warnings to “serious,” the highest of the four-tier system, as deadly landslides continue to take place mostly in parts of South Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces.

As of Sunday morning, villages in Yecheon County of North Gyeongsang Province reported eight dead and nine missing due to flooding and landslides.

Rescue workers continued to look for survivors on Sunday in the muddy rubble of landslide-struck Beolbang-ri and Baekseok-ri, where large rocks, uprooted trees and muddy water ravaged the villages "like a tsunami," according to witnesses.

Rescue work was slow in the remote villages as teams took caution against the possibility of additional landslides.

A rescue worker looks for survivors at Baekseok-ri in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. (Yonhap)

An aerial view of Beolbang-ri in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. (Yonhap)

By Kim So-hyun(sophie@heraldcorp.com)