At least 40 people in South Korea have died after a weekend of severe rains caused widespread flooding and landslides across the country.
On Monday, the nation was reeling from a tunnel tragedy where at least 13 people died in their vehicles after becoming trapped by floodwaters.
The full death toll is still unknown.
The disasters have prompted calls from President Yoon Suk Yeol to “overhaul” how the country combats extreme weather arising from climate change.
Responders were still working to drain the 685m-long (2,247ft) tunnel in the central city of Cheongju, with divers deployed to retrieve victims.
At least 15 vehicles, including a bus, were trapped in the underpass when floodwater from a nearby riverbank poured in.
Nine survivors have been found so far. Meanwhile, families of those missing have waited anxiously for information at a local hospital.
“I have no hope but I can’t leave. My heart wrenches, thinking how painful it must have been for my son in the cold water ” a parent of one of those missing in the tunnel told local news agency.
Police said they will launch an investigation into the fatal flooding of the underpass.
South Korea is experiencing one of its most intense summer monsoon seasons on record, with heavy downpours in the past week causing floods, landslides and power cuts across the country.
More torrential rain is expected this week, with showers forecast to Wednesday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday vowed to “completely overhaul” how the country responds to such extreme weather events.
“Extreme weather events like this will become commonplace. We must accept that climate change is happening and deal with it,” he said.
He also stated that a lack of proper management in flood-prone areas had caused many casualties.
During a visit to victims in the flood-hit North Gyeongsang province on Monday, Mr Yoon said “I’ve never seen something like this in my life, hundreds of tonnes of rocks rolling down from the mountain. How surprised you must have been,” he said
President Yoon has ordered military deployments to managing the aftermath of downpours across the country. He also announced the designation of hard-hit areas as “special disaster zones” eligible for state support.
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