At least 22 people have died and 14 people are missing following heavy rains in several regions of South Korea, the country’s authorities announced on Saturday, July 15, as thousands of residents were evacuated from their homes due to a dam overflow alert.
In the span of three days, many areas are drenched in heavy rains in the middle of the monsoon. The Interior Ministry said the 22 dead and 14 missing were swallowed up by landslides or fell into a flooded water tank.
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The majority of the victims, including 16 dead and nine missing, were in North Gyeongsang Province, where massive landslides in mountainous areas buried inhabited homes.
The ministry said that many of the missing persons had been swept away by floods of a river in this region. Earlier in the day, the South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing a local official relief agency, for its part, reported that 24 people were killed. in the worst affected areas, Houses were completely swept away.said a rescue worker in Yonhap.
Evacuation of the population
More than 6,400 residents of central Goisan province were ordered to evacuate early Saturday as the Goisan Dam began to overflow from heavy rains and flood nearby low-lying villages, according to the Interior Ministry.
The agency said rescue workers are working hard to reach 19 cars trapped in a tunnel in Cheongju, central North Chungcheong Province, where the body of a person was found.
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Floods hit the area so quickly that the residents were unable to evacuate in time. Water levels are still high and it is still impossible to know precisely how many people were trapped in their vehicles, according to Yonhap. The news agency reported that the number of casualties is expected to rise as authorities are still assessing damage across the country.
Heavy rains have halted all regular trains across the country, with KTX high-speed trains still running with the possibility of schedule adjustments, according to the national rail company. Roads as well as lanes in the national parks have been closed due to the rains and floods.
The department responsible for weather forecasts in South Korea issued alert notices as more rain is expected through Wednesday. Weather conditions are still a ” dangerous “ serious, in her opinion. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo appealed to the South Korean Ministry of Defense to help with relief efforts.
