At least 7 killed, 3 missing amid torrential rains

Firefighters conduct rescue operations at the scene of a landslide in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang, on Saturday. [NEWS1]

At least seven people were killed and three more went missing due to the ongoing torrential rains nationwide as of Saturday, according to authorities.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters confirmed another seven people were injured as of 11 a.m. Saturday, with the casualties expected to rise amid the continued heavy rains resulting in multiple landslides.

Two people died after a building collapse following a landslide in Nonsan, South Chungcheong, on Friday.

Authorities confirmed that a 74-year-old resident died after falling into a state of cardiac arrest after being buried in a landslide in Yeondong-myeon, Sejong in South Chungcheong earlier Saturday.

Two people were also killed in their homes after landslides in Yeongju in North Gyeongsang, and another person died in a landslide in Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong.

In Cheongju, North Chungcheong, another person died due to a road collapse.

Earlier in Cheongju, some 6,400 residents were evacuated due to rapidly rising water levels.

The number of casualties is likely to increase, with victims from landslides in Yecheon County and Mungyeong in North Gyeongsang not included in the latest tally.

In Yecheon County, at least seven homes were buried in a landslide.

A 68-year-old woman went missing near a stream in Busan, last Tuesday, and two people went missing due to the flooding in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang.

At least 20 people are seen to be killed, fatally injured or missing due to the heavy rains.

On Saturday morning, two people, including a woman in her 60s, were also believed to have been killed when a landslide buried them in their home in Bonghwa County in North Gyeongsang, at around 9 a.m. according to the authorities.

Some 1,567 people were evacuated from 1,002 households in 13 cities and counties nationwide, said authorities.

Power outages occurred in six cities and counties in North Gyeongsang, including 5,819 households in Yecheon and 2,037 households in Mungyeong.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]