At least 17 people have died in horrific floods and landslides in South Korea. According to the BBC, the country’s disaster management office said days of torrential rain caused these natural disasters.
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Catastrophic Floods And Landslides Kill 17 People In South Korea
The death toll could easily rise within the coming days as 11 people are still missing. These devastating events have demolished buildings and swept away cars. The heavy rainfall began on Wednesday, July 16, and continued for the next few days.
Nearly 10,000 people had to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, over 41,000 homes temporarily lost power during the heavy downpour. Throughout the weekend, the rain subsided in the worst areas, which were the southern and central regions. But it only took one night for the torrential rainfall to move north. The northern regions were then hit by rain on Sunday.
At the same time, landslides began to appear due to the heavy rain. One landslide in Gapyeong County killed two people while more landslides covered properties in mud.
President Lee Jae-myung named the worst-hit areas as special disaster zones on Sunday. He also ordered a multi-agency recovery effort for the zones that were hit the hardest.
According to AP News, a house collapsed on one person on Sunday, killing them in the process. Also, one person’s body was found after they were swept away by a swollen stream in Gapyeong.
The southern town of Sancheong was most affected. 10 citizens of Sancheong died due to the natural disasters, while officials reported four other missing.
Earlier in the week, someone died after their car was buried beneath soil and concrete. This was due to a retaining wall of an overpass collapsing. This death happened in Osan, which is just south of Seoul.
Not only that, but they found three dead victims within a submerged car, a swollen stream, and a flooded basement in the South Chungcheong province.
In response to the deaths, the president gave his deepest sympathies to families who lost loved ones. Yun Ho-jung, the interior minister, also requested local authorities to mobilize “all available resources.”
Luckily, the torrential rainfall ended late on Sunday. Weather reports say that an intense heatwave will follow.