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Three New Zealanders killed after holiday home buried in landslide

Three New Zealand citizens have died after landslides triggered by heavy rains destroyed and buried their vacation cottage near Seoul, South Korean officials say.

They were among 14 people in South Korea who died in landslides and floods caused by days of torrential rains that began on Saturday, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Tuesday.

Three New Zealand citizens have died in South Korean, after heavy rain caused a landslide. Source: EPA
Three New Zealand citizens have died in South Korean, after heavy rain caused a landslide. Source: EPA

A ministry official identified the three New Zealand citizens as a 77-year-old woman surnamed Kim, her 36-year-old daughter surnamed Song and Song's two-year-old son.

The official said they were found dead on Monday at their vacation cottage in Gapyeong, just northeast of Seoul. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to speak to the media on the matter.

Gapyeong police confirmed the deaths of the three New Zealanders.

A local police officer said the 77-year-old woman ran a complex of vacation cottages in Gapyeong and had been living there.

Rescue workers search for survivors at a damaged house after a landslide caused by heavy rain in Gapyeong, South Korea. Source: AP
Rescue workers search for survivors at a damaged house after a landslide caused by heavy rain in Gapyeong, South Korea. Source: AP

Her daughter, who had worked in New Zealand, recently came to the cottage complex with her baby son to help with her work, the officer said.

The rainfall pounded much of South Korea, leaving 12 other people missing and more than 1000 homeless.

All 14 deaths and most of the property damage were reported in Seoul, nearby towns and the central province of Chungcheong.

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