Sister of Siblings Missing in Manhole Also Found... Death Toll from Heavy Rain Rises to 13

6 Missing, 18 Injured Reported... 3,819 Houses and Shops Damaged, 1,492 Disaster Victims

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the 12th that 13 people have died and 6 are missing due to the heavy rain that has continued since the 8th. The fatalities were counted as 8 in Seoul, 3 in Gyeonggi, and 2 in Gangwon.

The number of deaths increased by one compared to the previous day’s count, while the number of missing persons decreased by one. A man in his 40s who went missing after falling into a manhole in Seocho-gu, Seoul, was found dead in a manhole about 1.5 km in a straight line from the accident site, and his missing sister was also found about 4 km away.

Accordingly, the missing persons were confirmed as 1 in Seoul, 3 in Gyeonggi, and 2 in Wonju, Gangwon. The injured totaled 18, with 16 in Gyeonggi and 2 in Seoul.

Those who evacuated from their residences numbered 6,299 across 54 cities, counties, and districts in 7 metropolitan areas, and the number of disaster victims who suffered damage such as house destruction and flooding reached 1,492. The number of temporarily evacuated people was 4,807.

Damage to facilities is also increasing. Private facility damage was tentatively counted at 3,879 cases, and public facility damage at 656 cases. Damage to houses and commercial buildings totaled 3,819 buildings, mostly in Seoul (3,453 buildings), with damage also confirmed in Gangwon, Sejong, Chungbuk, and Jeonbuk outside the metropolitan area. Additionally, there were 46 cases of soil erosion and 11 cases of retaining wall and fence collapse.

Public facilities suffered damage including 93 cases of road slope damage, 39 cases of water and sewage damage, and 20 cases of hydraulic facility damage. There were 17 cases of railway flooding, 48 cases of cultural heritage damage, and 69 landslides. Military facility damage amounted to 80 cases.

The area of farmland flooded due to the heavy rain reached 878.5 hectares, three times the size of Yeouido (290 ha). This includes 473.2 ha in Chungnam, 217.1 ha in Gangwon, 125.2 ha in Gyeonggi, 45 ha in Incheon, 14 ha in Chungbuk, and 4 ha in Sejong.

Furthermore, 126 school facilities including elementary, middle, high schools, and kindergartens suffered damage from the heavy rain. Thirty-one riverside areas, 64 riverside parking lots, and 210 trails in 11 national parks were closed. A 3.8 km section near Seopangyo IC on the Yongin-Seoul Expressway is partially closed, and some sections of National Routes 31 and 38 in Gangwon Province are also closed to traffic.

Meanwhile, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters forecasted that rain will occur in the Jeolla region, southern Gyeongbuk region, Gyeongnam region, and Jeju Island, and that strong rain accompanied by gusts, thunder, and lightning is expected in the Jeonnam region.