4 dead as heavy rains hit southeastern S. Korea

(ATTN: UPDATES on casualty list throughout)
GWANGJU/MIRYANG, South Korea, July 9 (Yonhap) -- Heavy monsoon rains and floods hit southeastern parts of South Korea, leaving four people dead and two others missing, emergency officials said Saturday.
Since early Saturday, torrential rains have fallen in South Gyeongnam province and the heavy downpour has caused flooding and property damage.
A 68-year-old woman and two of her grandchildren were killed when a landslide destroyed their home in Miryang, a city 386 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The grandchildren, aged 15 and 4, lived in Busan and were visiting their grandmother.
Authorities also said a 72-year-old woman who lived near the destroyed house has been reported missing after being swept away in the floods.
In addition, in Uiryeong, a 73-year-old woman was found dead, apparently a victim of the flash floods, and emergency crews are trying to find another elderly woman in the same region.
Local government officials and firefighters said a road has been lost near a dam in Hadong with around 3,000 hectares of farmland inundated due to the heavy precipitation that reached over 20 centimeters in some areas.
Besides the heavy rain that hit the southeastern part of the country, Jeolla province said over 30 centimeters of precipitation were reported in Gwangyang, 423 kilometers southeast of Seoul and home to one of the country's largest steel mills.
Emergency workers in Gwangju, Jeolla's largest city, said over 60 homes have been flooded and area residents have been evacuated throughout the province. Numerous avalanches have also been reported in many areas.
They also said that roughly 3,047 hectares of farmland have been flooded so far, although the exact extent of damage needed to be assessed later on.
Authorities, however, said that throughout the Jeolla region no fatalities have been reportedly caused by the latest downpour.
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