In Gangwon, landslides are the big worry

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In Gangwon, landslides are the big worry

Part of a village near the county of Hoengseong is buried under a landslide Wednesday morning. [YONHAP]

Part of a village near the county of Hoengseong is buried under a landslide Wednesday morning. [YONHAP]

 
As heavy rain warnings were issued for the inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon and 30 to 40 millimeters of rain per hour fell overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, landslides occurred all over the province.
 
According to the Gangwon Fire Department, a landslide occurred near the county of Hoengseong at around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, burying five houses. Seven people trapped in their homes reportedly did not suffer any injuries.
 
At around midnight Tuesday, another landslide occurred in Hoengseong that struck a house and a warehouse. One person was found dead underneath the collapsed warehouse four hours later. 
 
Another landslide took place at around 5:50 a.m. Wednesday in the city of Hongcheon, damaging one house and forcing three residents to evacuate.  
 
At around 2:20 a.m. in Hongcheon, 10 residents living in five houses were evacuated from a neighborhood due to concerns that a landslide was likely.
 
In the city of Wonju, where more than 200 millimeters of rain fell overnight, an elderly couple went missing after going to inspect beehives near their house. The police and fire departments were still searching for the two as of Wednesday afternoon.
 
In Yangyang, two people vacationing in a rented vacation house were evacuated due to concerns of landslides.
 
Landslide warnings were issued in Chuncheon, Wonju, Hoengseong and Pyeongchang.
 
The Korea Forest Service raised the landslide warning level in the Gangwon region from a “caution” to a “warning” as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.
 
As of Wednesday afternoon, 78.4 hectares (193.7 acres) of farmland and 1,684 square meters (18,126 square feet) of livestock houses were damaged, according to the Gangwon Provincial Office.
 
According to the Gangwon Regional Meteorological Administration, accumulated precipitation for Tuesday was 365 millimeters for Hoengseong, 357 millimeters for Hongcheon and 280 millimeters for Pyeongchang.
 
Due to the heavy rains that started Monday, water levels for dams on the Bukhan River including the Hwacheon Dam, Chuncheon Dam and Paldang Dam are being controlled by discharges of water.
 
The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that by Thursday, 50 to 150 millimeters of rain will have fallen in the western regions of Gangwon, and 20 to 80 millimeters in the central and eastern areas of the province.
 

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]
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