Four more bodies have been recovered from a water-logged underpass in central South Korea, bringing the number of people dead or missing as a result of flooding in the country to 49, Yonhap reported on Monday, citing officials.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday blamed authorities' failure to follow disaster response rules.

Rain has pummeled the country's central and southern regions since Thursday, as the rainy season starting in late June reached its peak.

Yoon, just back from an overseas trip, on Monday convened an intra-agency meeting on disaster response and said the situation was made worse because of poor management of vulnerable areas.

"We've repeatedly emphasized access control over dangerous areas and preemptive evacuation since last year, but if basic principles of disaster response are not kept on the spot, it is difficult to ensure public safety," Yoon said at the meeting.

He called for authorities to make the utmost effort to rescue victims and vowed support for recovery work and affected families, including designating flood-hit areas as special disaster zones.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Flooded Banpo Hangang Park in Seoul, South Korea, July 16, 2023. /Xinhua)