Powerful monsoon rains swept across South Korea, burying homes, knocking down trees, canceling flights and trains, and cutting power to thousands of residents, officials said on Saturday. The downpour caused flooding and landslides in the country’s central region, leaving at least 22 people dead and 14 others missing as of Saturday evening, the Interior Ministry said, adding that the rainfall was expected to intensify in the coming days. Heavy monsoon rains are typical in South Korea in the summer, and its mountainous topography makes it susceptible to landslides. But the number of casualties reported on Saturday was unusual. “The death toll is surprisingly high,” Cheong Tae Sung, an expert in flooding with South Korea’s National Disaster Management Research Institute, said in an interview, adding that there were a couple of possible reasons for this.

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Persons: Cheong Tae Sung Organizations: Interior Ministry, Disaster Management Research Institute Locations: South Korea