One dead, one missing as rains inundate Korea

Social Affairs

Published: 11 Jul. 2023, 19:16 Updated: 11 Jul. 2023, 19:22

One dead, one missing as rains inundate Korea

Heavy rain inundates the streets of Suseong District in Daegu on Tuesday. The entire country was hit by torrential rain, with emergency alerts ringing all day. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, 30 to 60 millimeters (1.2 to 2.4 inches) of rain fell per hour nationwide, accompanied by lightning, thunder and strong winds. The ceiling of a daycare center in Gwangju collapsed after a water drain broke. The weather agency projected that at least 180 millimeters of precipitation to continue on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Torrential downpours in central and southern parts of Korea killed at least one person Tuesday.

A man in his 70s was found dead near a stream in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday afternoon. The man was reported missing by his family members after he left home around 10:20 a.m. that day to take a walk.

CCTV camera footage taken near his home reportedly showed the man being swept away by currents in a flooded area.

Yeoju was receiving 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) of rain per hour at the time, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

A woman in her 60s in Busan went missing in the rain on Tuesday afternoon, too. She was not found as of press time.

The KMA issued heavy rain advisories and warnings in most central and southern areas of the country on Tuesday, including Suwon, Yongin, Gwangju, Daegu, Gimpo, Incheon, Seongnam and Busan.

The Seoul city government restricted entry to all of the city's 27 streams and their pathways as of Tuesday afternoon.

A heavy rain advisory is issued when precipitation for the next six hours is expected to be more than 70 millimeters, or when precipitation for the next 12 hours is expected to be over 110 millimeters. A heavy rain warning is issued when precipitation for the next six hours is expected to be more than 110 millimeters, or when precipitation for the next 12 hours is expected to be over 180 millimeters.

Local district offices in Seoul alerted their residents with text messages at around 4 p.m. in Guro, Yeongdeungpo and Dongjak districts warning them of the heavy rain.

It was the first time this year since regulations were passed last summer that called for sending emergency disaster texts directly to residents of areas that are being affected. The new system, however, will only be applied to the greater Seoul area this year before being adopted nationwide in May next year.

Emergency alert messages were previously sent to city or provincial residents, numbing many to the warnings.

Torrential rainfall last summer led to large-scale floods in Seoul, including its southern district of Gangnam and surrounding areas.

Traffic on the road near the Hannam Bridge in Seoul on Tuesday afternoon when torrential rain hit Seoul and its surrounding areas. [YONHAP]

One apartment complex in Gaepo-dong of Gangnam District with some 3,300 households was reportedly flooded on Tuesday afternoon. Photos and videos of the complex's flooded sections went viral on social media.

Also starting from 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the Fire Department expanded its distress report response team.

The southwestern city of Gwangju was especially hard hit with heavy rain on Tuesday. The city’s fire department received over 60 distress reports between noon and 1 p.m.

They included one from a daycare center in the Buk District of the city, where a part of the ceiling collapsed under the heavy rain. No children were reported injured in the incident.

The ceiling of a daycare center located within an apartment complex in Gwangju has come down in the heavy rain on Tuesday. No casualties were reported. [NEWS1]

The total rainfall in Gwangju was around 52.4 millimeters as of noon Tuesday. The KMA estimated that the city and its surrounding areas in South Jeolla could be hit with as much as 120 millimeters of rainfall through Wednesday.

The Chungju Dam in North Chungcheong began releasing water on Tuesday afternoon as the water level neared its limit. The dam was designed to hold up to 138 meters of water during the monsoon season. The water level had reached 130.2 meters as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.

The KMA said that over 70 millimeters of rain per hour could fall on Seoul and surrounding areas on Tuesday night, and that as much as 180 millimeters of rain could fall in these areas through Wednesday.

“Please beware of streams flooding and landslides in your areas,” said the KMA in a statement.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]