Photos: Rescuers retrieve nine bodies from flooded South Korea underpass

The bodies of nine people trapped in a tunnel submerged by heavy rain in central South Korea were retrieved on Sunday, authorities and local media said, taking the death toll from days of torrential downpours that have pounded the country to 35.

Seo Jeong-il, head of the west Cheongju fire station, said some 15 vehicles, including a bus, were estimated to have been submerged in the underpass in the city shortly after a levee of a nearby river was destroyed by the downpours on Saturday.

"We are focusing on the search operation as there's likely more people there," Seo told reporters. "We are doing our best to wrap it up today." The death toll in the tunnel stands at nine, including one body retrieved on Saturday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

One survivor from the submerged tunnel said the government should have restricted access to the underpass when flooding was expected, Yonhap reported.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim recovered during a search and rescue operation.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim recovered during a search and rescue operation.

Rescue workers carry the body of a victim recovered during a search and rescue operation.

South Korean soldiers move along a deluged road leading to an underground tunnel where some 15 cars were trapped in flood waters after heavy rains in Cheongju.

South Korean rescue workers search for missing persons near a bus along a deluged road leading to an underground tunnel.

Rescue workers look for victims during a search and rescue operation near an underpass.