Hapcheon Flood Bomb Causes Nakmincheon Embankment Collapse ... Consecutive Heavy Rain Damage

Over 20 Residents Also Evacuate to Village Hall

Hapcheon County Sports Park is being flooded due to heavy rain. (Photo by Hapcheon County)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] On the 8th, heavy rain reaching up to 269.1mm poured down in Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam, triggering a flood warning. Low-lying areas were flooded, and embankments collapsed, causing continuous damage.

According to the county, the embankment of Nakmincheon collapsed, flooding 20 hectares of farmland, and the embankment at Geuntae, Ssangchaek-myeon also collapsed.

Crop damage is estimated to have reached 130 hectares across the entire county, with livestock damage involving 300 Korean cattle (Hanwoo). Fortunately, no human casualties have been reported.

Additionally, there have been 10 cases of road slope erosion, 2 cases of sports park flooding, 7 landslides (including forest roads), 8 cases of small-scale facility flooding, 3 cases of river embankment collapse, and 1 case of national river embankment collapse reported.

In Giri Village, Yulgok-myeon, one house and one vehicle on the access road were flooded, prompting residents to evacuate to the community center. Two livestock barns were also damaged by flooding.

About 20 residents from Naecheon Village and Maeho Village also evacuated to the village hall.

Furthermore, due to the rising water levels, vehicle traffic has been completely restricted on Yongjugyo and Yongmungyo Bridges in Yongju-myeon, Sewolgyo Bridge in Samga-myeon, Hapcheon-Changnyeongbo Road, and County Road No. 21 between Gapsan and Naecheon in Yulgok-myeon.

Hapcheon Dam is releasing water at a rate of 2,700 tons per second, and damage caused by dam discharge continues to increase. The water level stands at 177.94m (full capacity 176m, flood level 179m), with a reservoir rate of 97%. Upstream areas such as Geochang are contributing an inflow of 2,203 tons per second.

A county official stated, "The water level of the Hwanggang River may rise due to Hapcheon Dam discharge. We ask people to avoid approaching dangerous areas and to pay attention to safety." He added, "Damage could increase significantly once accurate assessments are made."