SEOUL, 12th August, 2022 (WAM) -- Deaths from this week's heavy rains in South Korea have risen to 12, and seven have gone missing, Yonhap News Agency quoted officials as saying on Thursday.

Of the dead, seven were in Seoul, three in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and two in the eastern Gangwon Province, according to data from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

A total of 3,796 homes and buildings were inundated, most of them in the wider Seoul area.

Nearly 6,000 people across the country have evacuated from their homes, and most of them are staying at local schools and gyms, officials said.