Torrential rain leaves 1 missing, entries to 455 roads blocked

Firefighters rescue a person from a stream in Sasang District, Busan, on Tuesday as heavy rain battered the area and raised the stream's water level. [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT]

Torrential showers battered many parts of Korea overnight, leaving at least one person missing.

At least 52 people from 33 households evacuated in 10 cities and districts across the country, including Seoul, Busan, North Gyeongsang and Gwangju.

Some six houses in Wonju, Gangwon and Gwangju, Gyeonggi, were flooded.

In Busan, at least seven vehicles were submerged in Haeundae District, and 220 households experienced power outages in Suyeong District.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, 19 roads were restricted in several areas, including Busan and Gyeonggi. Entries to some 455 roads in 17 national parks in the country were blocked.

The national weather forecaster issued heavy rain advisories in the coastal area of South Gyeongsang, in Tongyeong and Geoje, as of 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Heavy downpours of 30 to 60 millimeters (1.2 to 2.4 inches) per hour, accompanied by thunder and lightning, will hit parts of the country, mostly in southern regions, through Wednesday afternoon.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety issued level 2 of the three-tier natural disaster alert system on Tuesday and is maintaining the alert level as of Wednesday morning.

Police and firefighters are searching for a 68-year-old woman who went missing at around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday near a stream in Sasang District, Busan, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said.

A man in his 70s was found dead near a stream in Yeoju, Gyeoggi, on Tuesday afternoon, suspected to have died while taking a walk near the stream.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters saw the death as a safety accident, not a casualty resulting from the rain.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, CHOI SEO-IN [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]