City Paralyzed by Heavy Rain... 7 Dead and 6 Missing in Seoul and Gyeonggi

7 Dead Including 3 Trapped in Banjiha
163 Displaced, 751 Houses and Shops Flooded

Flooded Line 7 Isu Station (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Heavy rain measuring 100 to 400mm poured down in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province the previous day, paralyzing various parts of the city.

There were casualties, with 13 people dead or missing in Seoul and Gyeonggi, and subway tracks were flooded, causing service suspensions that left citizens unable to return home, anxiously waiting.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as of 6 a.m. on the 9th, 5 people died in Seoul and 2 in Gyeonggi. There are 6 missing persons (4 in Seoul, 2 in Gyeonggi) and 9 injured (in Gyeonggi).

In Gwanak-gu, Seoul, it was reported that two people in their 40s and one teenager were trapped in a semi-basement due to flooding, but they died the previous night. In Dongjak-gu, Seoul, a public official in his 60s died from electrocution while clearing a fallen street tree the previous afternoon.

In Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, one person was found dead under the debris of a collapsed bus stop. Another person died due to a landslide on a roadside slope.

A landslide occurred on a road in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th due to heavy rain, resulting in partial lane closures and recovery work. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Additionally, four people went missing in the underground shopping mall passage in Seocho-gu, and two people were swept away by rapid currents after a river overflowed in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

The heavy rain in a short period caused 163 disaster victims from 107 households. In an apartment in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 60 people evacuated, and in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, 68 people temporarily evacuated to nearby schools and welfare centers.

There was flooding in 751 houses and commercial buildings: 684 in Seoul, 54 in Incheon, 2 in Gangwon, and 1 in Gyeonggi. In Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, the first and second floors of a commercial building were submerged, and eight vehicles were flooded. On the Gwangju-Wonju Private Expressway, soil erosion occurred and restoration is underway.

Due to flooding, Dongjak Station and Gubanpo Station were submerged, suspending express service on Line 9. Lines 1 to 8 are operating normally, while Line 9 between Nodeul and Sapyeong Stations and the Jungang Line between Wondeok and Yongmun Stations are running on separated routes. At Isu Station, the ceiling collapsed due to the heavy rain.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, from the previous day until 6 a.m. on the 9th, 421mm of rain fell at the Seoul Meteorological Office, with 395.0mm in Seocho, Seoul; 392mm in Yangpyeong (Okcheon), Gyeonggi; 374.5mm in Gangnam, Seoul; 334.5mm in Gwangju (Toechon), Gyeonggi; and 272.5mm in Bupyeong, Incheon.