Heavy rain unleashed multiple landslides in southern Sancheong county, officials said.

"At least two people have been reported missing, two people are in cardiac arrest and five people were killed," the national fire agency said in a statement, adding that 16 people have been rescued.

Many of those confirmed dead were found in their homes, having drowned or been buried under the landslide, according to the agency.

Sancheong county authorities told 34,000 residents to "evacuate immediately to a safe area".

Six people are currently unreachable, including two trapped in a house, according to the local fire department.

South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July, and is usually well-prepared. But this week, the country's southern regions recorded especially torrential downpours, with some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record, official weather data showed.

Beyond the fatalities from Saturday's landslide, at least four other people died in rain-related accidents in the last few days.

Scientists say climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and frequent.

In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people.