S Korea on crisis alert as heavy rain kills 10

SEOUL, July 16 (Reuters) South Korea issued a national crisis warning today as torrential rain caused flooding in parts of the country, killing 10 people and leaving 17 missing and presumed dead.

The orange alert issued for the capital, Seoul, and its surrounding regions and for the eastern province of Kangwon was prompted by a ''high likelihood of large-scale disasters'' from heavy rain, the National Emergency Management Agency said.

The alert is a step below the category-red warning that shuts down schools and workplaces and bans access to major highways.

The orange alert puts residents of affected areas on standby for possible swift evacuation and advises children and the elderly to remain indoors.

Up to 50 cm of rainfall in eastern South Korea since Friday had caused flooding, driving more than 2,000 people into emergency shelters, the emergency agency said in a report.

Further heavy rain was expected in central and eastern regions including Seoul, with more than 25 cm of precipitation expected in some areas before midnight today, the national meteorological agency said.

The rain, in part triggered by last week's Typhoon Ewiniar, could affect southern regions later on Sunday, the weather agency said.

Sections of mountainous highways had been washed away or made impassable, the agency said.

''The situation in the eastern region is pretty bad,'' an agency official said by telephone.

The casualty toll was likely to rise with some people in isolated eastern areas not yet accounted for, the agency said.

Kangwon province borders North Korea and it was unclear whether the torrential rains had caused any damage in the secretive state.

REUTERS SY RK0958