The toll over the past five days grew by another 70 victims overnight as the capital's 12 million inhabitants were thrown into chaos, as tens of thousands of citizens fled their flooded homes.

``Our early morning tally showed some 30 people dead or missing (in the immediate Seoul area), but damage and human losses are far more serious,'' a Central Disaster Agency (CDA) official said.

In addition, at least 30 more were presumed dead or missing in Kyonggi province, which surrounds Seoul and was also hit by heavy overnight rain.CDA officials said 17 people were confirmed dead and 13 missing in Seoul and its immediate vicinity as of 11 am (0200 GMT). The toll included two firefighters swept away by flash floods during rescue operations.

A sea of muddy floods submerged two northern satellite cities of the capital, cutting offroads and telecommunications facilities.

Several people were buried alive by landslides sparked by the unexpected and unusually heavy rains which took locals by surprise, officials said.