Rescue workers in South Korea on Sunday recovered the bodies of eight people who had been trapped in a flooded underpass, taking the death toll due to torrential rains and landslides to 35.Search and rescue operation at an underpass that has been submerged by a flooded river caused by torrential rain in Cheongju #SouthKorea pic.twitter.com/g6bulC5CLK— DD India (@DDIndialive) July 16, 2023The 685-metre-long underpass in the Osong area, near the city of Cheongju in the central North Chungcheong province, was swamped by a flash flood on Saturday, trapping around 15 vehicles and a passenger bus.The flash floods occurred after a nearby river overflowed when rising water levels in the area brought down an embankment. The drivers and passengers had little to escape the tunnels before flood waters swamped them.According to Seo Jeong-il, head of the West Cheongju fire station, around 15 vehicles and a bus remain submerged in the underpass. “We are focusing on the search operation as theres likely more people there,” Seo told reporters. “We are doing our best to wrap it up today.”The total death toll in the tunnel stands at nine, with one body being recovered earlier on Saturday. Rescuers are working round the clock to rescue anybody still trapped in the tunnels.Earlier on Sunday, nine survivors were pulled out from the submerged underpass, and an unknown number of people are still missing and presumed to be stuck.Rescuers could be seen pumping out flood waters from inside the underpass, and divers used rubber boats to move in and out of the tunnel. According to North Chungcheong provincial fire department official Yang Chan-mo, it could take several hours for the authorities to pump out all the water from the tunnel, which was still filled with more than sixteen feet of muddy water.South Korea death toll at 35 with 10 still missingIncessant rainfalls since July 9 have caused floods and landslides across South Korea, with more than 6,100 people getting displaced. More than 27,260 households have been left without electricity, and there has been widespread property damage, according to a statement by the South Korean Interior and Safety Ministry.At least 10 people were still missing across the country as of Sunday. This figure does not include any people still stuck in the Cheongju tunnels – which is still unknown.17 people have died in the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang due to landslides and housing collapses. Nine people are missing from that area, and one more is missing from the port city of Busan.
