South Korea as heavy monsoon rains pounded the Korean peninsula for a fourth consecutive day, officials said.

Landslides and flash floods killed 15 people and 26 were missing as of early yesterday, the National Emergency Management Agency said. It predicted further casualties as many people were trapped by flood waters in remote villages.

Yonhap news agency said 20 people were killed and 33 others missing. The eastern province of Gangwon has been hit by more than 520 millimeters (21 inches) of rain since Friday. Heavy rain has also affected the central part of the Korean peninsula and North Korea.

The North’s state media gave no casualty figures but said agricultural and other sectors of its economy were badly damaged by heavy rains in some areas.

In South Korea, about 2,400 people were left homeless after the downpour flooded homes, swept away roads and inundated farmland and villages. Tens of thousands of residents were also left without power.

Lee Yong-Sup, minister of government administration and home affairs, said the government would designate 10 cities and counties as special disaster areas.

Flood victims will receive up to 20 million won (21,000 dollars) in compensation, while those who lost their farmland will receive a special loan of up to 300 million won, he said.