2 Pohang miracles overshadowed by tragic typhoon deaths

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2 Pohang miracles overshadowed by tragic typhoon deaths

Rescuers pull a 52-year-old woman out from a flooded underground parking garage at an apartment complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Tuesday night, more than 12 hours after she went missing in the aftermath of Typhoon Hinnamnor. Her teenage son was found dead in the same garage hours later. [NEWS1]

Rescuers pull a 52-year-old woman out from a flooded underground parking garage at an apartment complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Tuesday night, more than 12 hours after she went missing in the aftermath of Typhoon Hinnamnor. Her teenage son was found dead in the same garage hours later. [NEWS1]

He was a mama's boy, his friends recall. He loved her car rides. His hobby was picking up groceries with her. He followed her wherever she went. Bad weather never made a difference.
 
But it should have. At least when Typhoon Hinnamnor hit on Tuesday.
 
Now, the 52-year-old mother is alone in a hospital bed, grieving the tragic death of her 15-year-old son and wishing she could turn back time. Back to when she took him to the underground apartment garage to move her car to safety as water rushed in.
 
The teenage son was among at least seven people who died in the same apartment complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, trying to perform the same trivial task on Tuesday morning as the typhoon barreled through Korea's southeast corner.
 
Damage in Pohang was the most severe.
 
The mother was among just two people who were found alive, both over 12 hours after they had gone missing. They're now hospitalized, though authorities said none had life-threatening injuries.
 
Pohang firefighters and police aren't sure exactly how many people went missing in the apartment complex's two underground garages.
 
In the early phase of rescue operations, they thought a total of seven were unaccounted for. But two people who weren't on the original list were found.
 
About 80 percent of the water that had filled up both garages was removed by 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials said chances of finding more bodies were slim.
 
According to Pohang officials, the nine people are believed to have left their homes at around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday after an announcement was made through the apartment complex's intercom telling residents to move their cars out of the parking garages to prevent damage from flooding caused by the typhoon.
 
But shortly after that announcement was made, a river that was just 150 meters (492 feet) away from the apartment's front gate overflowed, and water rushed into the underground garages.
 
Witnesses who spoke with the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday said it took only 10 minutes for both the garages to completely fill up.
 
All nine people were discovered between 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday and 2:15 a.m. on Wednesday.
 
In the first garage, six people were discovered dead and two alive. In the second garage, one person was found dead.
 
The first person, a 39-year-old man, was discovered at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday. The 52-year-old mother was the next to be found alive, at 9:40 p.m. the same day.
 
Officials said both survivors found air between the floodwaters and the ceiling of the underground garage — spaces just 30 centimeters (12 inches) high — and remained in these pockets for over 12 hours.
 
The seven people who did not make it out alive all drowned. Only one person was found inside a vehicle, and the doors were all closed.
 
Five men, whose ages were 76, 71, 52, 22 and 15, died. Two women, 65 and 54, died.
 
Nearly 200 firefighters, soldiers and police officers were deployed for the rescue operation.
 
North Gyeongsang police on Wednesday announced plans to form an investigation team of some 70 people to probe the cause of the accident and decide whether to press any charges.
 
Police said they retrieved CCTV footage from the apartment's management office, which advised residents to move their cars on Tuesday morning, to check for any malpractice. Once rescue operations come to an end, suspects and witnesses will be summoned for questioning.
 
The Pohang city government separately mentioned plans to soon form an accident management team to inspect apartment complexes in the city.
 
So far, Pohang says the typhoon caused nearly 200 billion won ($144.4 million) of damage in the city.
 
In an exclusive interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Tuesday, the management office head of the apartment complex where seven people died, who made one of the announcements earlier that day advising people to move their cars, shook as he recalled the fatal decision.
 
The worker pleaded innocence, saying he didn't know that the river nearby would overflow and flood the parking garages so quickly.
 
"I was so flustered I couldn't even think about calling 119," he said, referring to Korea's fire and rescue number.
 
"I didn't call, but I soon heard the sirens," he continued. "The ambulance arrived but couldn't go in due to the waters."
 
Several residents who spoke with the JoongAng Ilbo said they didn't blame him.
 
As for the 52-year-old mother who lost her teenage son, the shock was so severe that she's expected to stay in the hospital for some time, officials said. The other survivor is planning to leave on Thursday morning.
 
By Wednesday 3 p.m., 11 deaths from Typhoon Hinnamnor were confirmed, as were three injuries. One person remains missing. 

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, AN DAE-HUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
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