One missing, homes and crops damaged in southern regions as monsoon continues

Social Affairs

Published: 09 Jul. 2024, 12:25 Updated: 10 Jul. 2024, 13:36

One missing, homes and crops damaged in southern regions as monsoon continues

Fire authorities visit a damaged road in Andong, North Gyeongsang, following a heavy rain on Monday. [NORTH GYEONGSANG FIRE HEADQUARTERS]

Monsoon rains will continue to pour across much of the nation until late Wednesday. Heavy downpours through Tuesday morning have left one person missing and caused flooding in houses and on roads in the southern regions, according to the state weather agency.

Rain is forecast to continue nationwide, with around 30 to 100 millimeters (one to four inches) expected until Wednesday night. Some areas, including greater Seoul, could see more than 150 millimeters of precipitation, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The KMA warned of heavy rain, particularly from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning, with some regions possibly receiving up to 50 millimeters of rain per hour.

The stationary front moving across the peninsula is responsible for the monsoon downpours, the KMA said.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, five to 20 mm of rain per hour had poured in the southern regions, including in Gyeongsang, according to the KMA.

The continuous heavy rain overnight caused severe damage in the southern regions on Tuesday.

Police and firefighters deployed 21 pieces of equipment and 93 personnel to search for a woman in her 40s in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang, after reportedly being swept away by floodwaters at 5:12 a.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters also rescued 34 people from Sunday until 6 a.m. Tuesday in the region, and they received a total of 224 reports, including 73 cases of household flooding and 64 cases of road disruptions.

Four cultural assets in the region were reported damaged on Tuesday due to the heavy rain, including a ginkgo tree and a natural monument in Andong, where there was flooding in Hahoe Village.

Power and network outages also affected four areas in the region, but lines have mostly been restored.

In Daegu, four cars were drowned, and one person was stranded inside a house due to a sewage backflow before being rescued by firefighters.

Some historic parts of Seoul were also damaged by heavy rain overnight.

Approximately 20 meters of Hanyangdoseong, one of the world's longest and oldest city walls, atop Mount Bugak in Jongno, central Seoul, collapsed Monday night, according to the Jongno District office and fire authorities.

No casualties were reported. The entrance near the damaged section was cordoned off.

Update, July 9: Added updates throughout the story including details on missing person person in North Gyeongsang.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]