One killed as South Korea rain death toll rises to 11

At least one person was killed and four missing during heavy downpours Sunday (July 20, 2025) in South Korea, officials said, bringing the death toll to 11 from torrential rains that have lashed the country this week.

Close to 170 mm of rain hit Gapyeong county in Gyeonggi province, 70 km east of Seoul, early Sunday (July 20, 2025).

“We expect at least four missing now on top of one dead in Gapyeong,” an Interior Ministry official told AFP.

The total number of deaths from the five-day deluge is now at least 11, according to official data.

A woman in her 70s was killed when her house collapsed in a landslip around 4:40 a.m. Sunday (July 20, 2025) in Gapyeong, Yonhap news agency reported.

Most of the deaths have occurred in the southern county of Sancheong, which has seen nearly 800 mm of rain since Wednesday (July 16, 2025).

South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July and is usually well-prepared. But this week, the country’s southern regions were hit by especially intense downpours, with some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record, official weather data showed.

Scientists say climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world.

In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people.