(LEAD) Heavy rain-caused deaths rise to 12; 7 go missing

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SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- Deaths from this week's heavy rains have risen to 12, and seven have gone missing, officials said 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.

The Korea Meteorological Administration has lifted the downpour warning in the greater Seoul area and Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, but maintained a heavy rain warning for the country's central region, including South Chungcheong Province, where precipitation may reach between 30 and 40 millimeters per hour.

A total of 525 millimeters of rain fell in Seoul from Monday to Wednesday morning, while Yangpyeong, 45 kilometers east of Seoul, recorded an accumulated 526.2 mm of rain during the period, according to the weather agency.

khj@yna.co.kr
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