8 Bodies Recovered From South Korea's Submerged Tunnel As Rain, Flood Kill 35

The death toll in South Korea amid the flood rose to 35 as eight more bodies were recovered from a submerged underpass on Sunday.

South Korean rescue workers searching for missing persons along an underground tunnel in flood waters

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Eight bodies trapped in a tunnel submerged by heavy rain in central South Korea were retrieved on Sunday following which the death toll rose to 35. Seo Jeong-il, head of the West Cheongju fire station said that around 15 vehicles, including a bus, were estimated to have been submerged in the underpass after an embankment near a river got washed away. Seo, while talking to the media, said that the team was focusing on the search operation as there were likely more people there. He added that the team was doing its best to wrap up the operations today itself, reported by news agency Reuters.

A CCTV footage of the incident aired on local broadcaster MBC showed muddy water gushing into the tunnel as vehicles attempted to drive past it with their wheels remaining submerged. 

The death toll in the tunnel stood at nine, including one which was retrieved on Saturday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

Yonhap cited the Ministry of Interior and Safety as saying that ten people were missing across the country as of 7:30 am (IST) as heavy rainfall caused landslides and floods.

The ministry data does not include those in the flooded tunnel as the number of people trapped there was not certain.

More than 5,566 people across South Korea were forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter on Sunday, as per the Ministry. Around 8,300 households in four provinces of the nation are also experiencing power outages, CNN reported while citing Yonhap.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo directed the authorities to evacuate those that live in landslide-prone regions. He has also directed the authorities to carry out rescue operations, reported CNN.