Death toll rises to 17 in South Korea as rains cause landslide and floods

Volunteers clean up a flooded area caused by torrential rain in Gwangju, South Korea, July 20, 2025. Yonhap/via REUTERS

Two people have died and five were missing in the South Korean county of Gapyeong on Sunday, after a landslide engulfed houses and campsites and flooding swept away vehicles amid heavy rainfall.

This brings the nationwide death toll to 17 with 11 people missing since the rain began on Wednesday, forcing more than 13,000 people to evacuate.

A landslide hit a campsite in Gapyeong, leaving a man in his 40s dead, two family members missing and 24 other people stranded, fire authorities said.

One person was rescued near the campsite by a zip-line across a raging river, according to footage released by fire officials. In another video, a helicopter is seen airlifting a person to safety.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered a swift assessment of the damage and the prompt designation of special disaster zones to increase state support.

The rainfall is likely to stop on Sunday and be followed by a heat wave, the government weather forecaster said on Sunday.

The heavy rainfall, which had earlier lashed southern parts of South Korea, moved north overnight, it said.