Seven bodies pulled from flooded South Korea tunnel

Officials say the tunnel filled with water in two to three minutes. Pic/AP

South Korean rescue workers pulled seven bodies from a flooded tunnel where around 15 vehicles were trapped in muddy water, as days of heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides and destroyed homes across the country. Flooding and landslides have killed at least 33 people in Korea and forced thousands to evacuate, officials said Sunday.

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. Fire officials estimated that the tunnel filled with water in as little as two or three minutes.

An official said it could take several hours to pump out all the water from the tunnel, which was still filled with 4 to 5 meters of water dense with mud and other debris. Nine survivors were rescued from the tunnel and 11 others were believed to be missing based on reports by families or others.

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