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Philippines + 2 more

Asia floods kill scores, thousands flee

By Koo Hee-jin

SEOUL, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Heavy rains triggered mudslides and flash floods in South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines killing more than 60 people and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands living in low-lying areas, officials said on Monday.

The rain has also pounded North Korea, whose economy has been shattered by floods and droughts over the past four years. But few details were available of the damage there.

Weatherman are predicting worse to come for South Korea, with a typhoon heading for the south coast.

Torrential seasonal downpours in the past week in south-central Vietnam have killed at least 34 people and destroyed thousands of homes, Hanoi's Disaster Management Unit said.

At least 16 people were killed in landslides and floods on Monday in Manila, the Philippine capital, while 11 people have been killed and 17 are feared dead since the weekend in South Korea.

Typhoon Olga, which triggered the rains in the Philippines, was moving towards the southern coast of South Korea, weather agencies reported.

The typhoon, packing winds of up to 120 kph (75 mph), was likely to touch land on Monday night or early on Tuesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said.

Rainfall on Tuesday is forecast at 100 to 500 mm (four to 20 inches) across the peninsula.

Officials in Manila said heavy rain since Saturday caused landslides and floods, killing at least 16 people, forcing thousands to take shelter and leaving large parts of the city of 10 million people under knee-deep water.

The Marikina river, which flows through Manila, burst its banks while authorities said levels at the La Mesa dam on the outskirts of the city were just 84 cm (33.6 inches) below overflowing.

The Philippine government ordered offices closed early because of the weather. Trading on the foreign exchange market was also curtailed.

The South Korean disaster agency said 10 people, including three couples, were feared dead after their vacation cabin in Hwachon, about 100 km (60 miles) northeast of Seoul in Kangwon province, was buried under a landslide.

At least 11 people were confirmed dead in weekend rains and another seven were reported missing, the agency said.

"Witnesses saw mud and rocks tumble from the mountainside, sweeping away a bungalow where the missing tourists were taking their morning coffee," said an official at the headquarters of the disaster agency.

High winds and rain have closed two ports to passenger traffic -- Inchon in the northwest and Cheju on southern Cheju island. The waters have inundated railways and highways and forced at least 15,000 people to flee their homes.

The northwestern city of Paju and neighbouring areas were among the hardest hit in South Korea, with 662 mm (26.5 inches) of rain on Saturday and Sunday.

Television stations showed the Han river, bisecting the capital Seoul, overflowing its banks, with street lamps sticking out from muddy waters, and turning riverside parks into lakes.

Nearly 18,000 hectares (44,480 acres) of farmland in the northwestern city of Paju and its neighbouring areas were under water, the agriculture ministry said.

"If the heavy rains continue, damage is likely to reach over 400 billion won ($332 million)," said the disaster agency official. "But it's not a final figure and is sure to rise."

In Vietnam, an official at the national Disaster Management Unit said losses in the hardest-hit Binh Thuan province -- which included thousands of hectares of paddy, 22 bridges destroyed and 63 fishing boats lost or damaged -- were put at 94.8 billion dong ($67.9 million).

Traffic on the main north-south National Highway 1A which links Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City had been cut for three days, but since Monday vehicles of up to 18 tonnes had been able to cross temporary bridges, officials added.