At least 39 killed after torrential rain unleashes flooding and landslides in South Korea

At least 39 people have died after torrential downpours triggered deadly flash floods and landslides in South Korea.

Report informs via foreign media that the country has been hit by heavy rainfall since 9 July, which has intensified in the past three days and is expected to continue in some regions until Sunday.

Rescue workers have so far pulled seven bodies from a flooded tunnel where around 15 vehicles were trapped in muddy water.

Nearly 400 rescue workers, including divers, were searching the tunnel in the central city of Cheongju, where the vehicles, including a bus, were swamped by a flash flood Saturday evening, Seo Jeong-il, chief of the city's fire department, said in a briefing.

Search and rescue operation at an underpass that has been submerged by a flooded river caused by torrential rain in Cheongju
Photos and video from the scene showed rescue workers establishing a perimeter and pumping brown water out of the tunnel as divers used rubber boats to move in and out of the area.

Yang Chan-mo, an official from the North Chungcheong provincial fire department, said it could take several hours to pump out all the water from the tunnel, which was still filled with 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16.4 feet) of water dense with mud and other debris.

Workers were proceeding slowly with the work to prevent any victims or survivors from being swept out, Yang said.