Nearly 5,500 people still remained displaced after torrential rains battered large swaths in South Korea last week.

Some 5,494 were still staying at relatives' houses or shelter camps set up at senior centers, village halls or schools across the country, Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported, citing Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

The record-matching rains have left 46 people dead and seven others, including a marine, missing.

Some 14 deaths alone were caused by the flooding of the Osong underground roadway in the central city of Cheongju on Saturday when a nearby river broke its embankment and overflowed due to a heavy downpour.

Downpours have also damaged more than 2,500 public and private properties and homes with the damage centered around the South Chungcheong Province.

A heat wave struck the nation, which barely breathed a sigh of relief following a lull in the monsoon rain spell on Wednesday.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), temperatures are expected to soar to 33C (91.4F) or higher for two or more consecutive days.