Missing man in his 40s found in another manhole 1.5km away in Seocho-gu (Comprehensive)

On the 9th, when record-breaking heavy rain fell in Seoul and the central region, a vehicle submerged by the floodwaters near Gangnam Station in Seocho-gu, Seoul, is revealed as the water recedes. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] A man in his 40s who went missing after falling into a manhole in Seocho-gu during the heavy rain in Seoul on the 8th was found dead on the afternoon of the 10th.

According to the police and fire authorities, the Dongjak Rescue Team found the missing person around 3 p.m. near a manhole by a bus stop in Seocho-dong, approximately 1.5 km in a straight line from the accident site.

The missing person was swept into a manhole on a road in Seocho-dong along with his sister in her 50s when the heavy rain poured on the 8th. The missing sister has not yet been found.

The manhole where the missing person was found was connected to a stormwater drainage pipe (a pipe that drains accumulated rainwater) measuring 5 meters wide and 2.5 meters high. The length of this drainage pipe section, which runs from the accident site to Banpo Stream, is 3.7 km. The management of the drainage pipe is handled by the Seocho District Office.

The fire authorities conducted search operations using a robot until the previous day, but as the weather and the rapid current inside the manhole improved on the day, rescue workers were directly deployed for the search. Regarding the fact that the robot did not find the missing person in the section it explored the previous day, the authorities explained, "There is a difference between a robot searching and a person searching carefully step by step."

Meanwhile, the fire authorities announced that the search for the still missing sister will continue into the night. The police, who received the missing person, plan to conduct an autopsy on the body.