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At least 26 people have been killed and <> are missing after heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in South Korea, authorities said on Monday, as rescuers continue to search for people trapped in a flooded underground tunnel.

South Korea is in the middle of the summer monsoon season and has been raining for the past four days. The downpours caused widespread floods and landslides, as well as the overflow of a large dam.

Most of which were buried by landslides or fell into deep water.

Rescuers are working to reach about 15 vehicles trapped in a 430-meter underground tunnel in North Chooncheon province, the ministry said.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the tunnel was flooded yesterday morning after a sudden flood flooded it too quickly and people could not escape.

Five more bodies were found in a bus that remained underwater.

The majority of the victims, including 17 dead and nine missing, were from North Gyeongsan province, a mountainous region particularly hit by landslides that engulfed houses and buried their occupants.

Some of the missing people were swept away by a river overflowing in North Gyeongsan province, the interior ministry said.

The forecast is that more rain will fall by Wednesday, and the meteorological administration warned that weather conditions pose a "serious" danger.

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South Korea regularly suffers from flooding during the summer monsoon season, but overall the country is well prepared and the death toll remains relatively low.

Last year, the country also experienced heavy rains and flooding that killed 11 people.

The government then said rainfall in 2022 was the most abundant since weather data began for Seoul 115 years ago, explaining the extreme weather to climate change.

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