SEOUL, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Heavy downpours drenched South Korea 's southern and central areas over the weekend, leaving at least 12 people dead and four others missing, said the disaster control center on Sunday.
The latest round of seasonal rains started on Friday. According to Seoul's weather agency, more than 400 millimeters of rain pounded South Jeolla Province, especially the Qunsan area, with 300 millimeters rainfall on Sunday alone.
Several rain-triggered landslides took place in South Jeolla, North Jeolla and South Gyeongsang Provinces, leaving four elders and two children dead.
A 68-year-old woman and two of her grandchildren were killed on Sunday when a landslide destroyed their home in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. The landslide also killed two other old women, aged 92 and 86, who lived in a mountain hermitage.
Other victims were found dead after being swept away in floods.
More than 180 houses were submerged across the nation due to the heavy rains, and some 300 people have been evacuated.
The monsoon rains also destroyed some bridges and roads, flooded tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, and suspended train services for several hours late Sunday.
Seoul's weather agency said that the seasonal rain front, currently slowly moving north, will bring more rains to the nation. As much as 50 millimeters of rain will fall per hour in central regions from Sunday night, and more than 250 millimeters of rain will pound some regions in Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province and Gangwon Province until Monday.
The authorities advised people to make more preparations for possible damages.
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