Water Rising to Two-Thirds of Wheels When Vehicle Entered
Surged Up to Below Car Windows in 3-4 Minutes
Fire Authorities Rescue Trapped People... 3 Dead
On the 23rd, firefighters who responded to a report at the flooded No. 1 Underpass near Busan Station in Busan Metropolitan City rescued people trapped inside. A total of three people died in the incident. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] A tragic accident occurred in which three people died after the Busan Choryang No.1 Underpass was flooded due to record-breaking heavy rain. According to eyewitness testimony from survivors at the accident site, water rapidly rose several meters above the road surface, leaving no time to evacuate.
A, who barely escaped from the accident scene and is currently resting at a hospital in Busan, said in an interview with 'Yonhap News' on the 24th, "The accident happened so quickly that there was no time to evacuate."
According to A, the accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on the previous day (23rd) at the No.1 underpass near Busan Station. Several vehicles, including the one A was in, entered the underpass.
At that time, although water had accumulated inside the underpass, its height was only about two-thirds of the wheel height, and there were no warning signs or caution notices at the entrance, so vehicles naturally followed the car in front and entered.
However, as they reached the middle of the underpass, vehicles began to stop one by one. About three minutes after stopping, rainwater suddenly started rising along both sides of the cars. The water quickly reached below the car windows and began to seep inside through the gaps. Some vehicles even floated as they became submerged.
Drivers used their mobile phones to inform their families and report the situation to the fire department. Some drivers, terrified, tried to open doors or break windows. However, the water pressure was too strong, and the car doors did not budge. When they tried to break the windows using objects like folding chairs, the water had already risen too high for their feet to touch the ground.
Meanwhile, when the fire rescue team arrived at the scene after receiving the report, water had risen to a height of 2.5 meters inside the underpass. The entrance height of this underpass is 3.5 meters.
People who escaped from the cars at that time waved their hands on the water and shouted "Help us," and some barely survived by climbing onto the car roofs.
Firefighters secured themselves with ropes, entered the underpass, rescued those trapped, and transported them to the hospital.
However, among those rescued, two died while receiving treatment at the hospital, and one was found dead in the underpass about five hours after the accident, resulting in a total of three fatalities.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this heavy rain recorded 81.6 mm per hour, marking the 10th highest rainfall since 1920. Especially after the heavy rain warning was issued, about 200 mm of rain fell intensively over three hours in most areas of Busan, causing flooding damage in several locations.
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