South Korea's interior ministry said 33 people were killed and 10 more missing during heavy downpours, mostly buried under landslides or after falling into a flooded reservoir, AFP reports.

The death toll includes 7 bodies pulled by rescuers from around 15 vehicles trapped in a tunnel flooded with muddy water.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held an emergency meeting with officials to mobilize all available resources to deal with the disaster, his office said.