'285mm Water Bomb' Causes Widespread Damage Across Gwangju and Jeonnam

60s Female Watergate Manager Missing in Hampyeong, Home Flooded

Gwangju Apartment Retaining Wall Collapses, Landslide Concerns Trigger Evacuation Chaos

On the morning of the 28th, when up to 285mm of rain fell, a stone retaining wall on the hillside behind an apartment in Pungam-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, collapsed.
[Photo by Gwangju Western Fire Station]

Overnight, heavy rain exceeding 285mm fell in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, causing flooding damage in various areas.

According to the Gwangju Regional Meteorological Administration on the 28th, the cumulative rainfall by region from midnight the previous day to 9 a.m. on the same day was 285.6mm in Gwangju, 222.5mm in Hampyeong, Jeonnam, 220mm in Damyang, 210.5mm in Hwasun, 191mm in Gokseong, 190.5mm in Naju, 174.6mm in Yeosu, 170.5mm in Gwangyang (Baegunsan), 155mm in Goheung, and 149.4mm in Suncheon.

As record-breaking heavy rain continued overnight, the Gwangju and Jeonnam Fire Headquarters received 172 and 85 reports of rain damage, respectively.

At around 10:30 p.m. the previous day, a woman in her 60s who worked as a maintenance worker for water control facilities in Hampyeong County, Jeonnam, went missing after going out to open a sluice gate, prompting a search by the fire department.

Also, at around 11 p.m. the previous day in Gokseong County, a report was received that a person was trapped due to flooding in their home; the person was rescued by the fire department and evacuated to a nearby administrative welfare center.

In Gwangju, at around 6:30 a.m. on the same day, a stone retaining wall on a hillside behind an apartment in Pungam-dong, Seo-gu, collapsed, causing soil and trees to flow down.

At around 2:40 a.m. on the same day, a tree fell in the Sotae-dong area of Dong-gu, damaging a house and raising concerns about a landslide, leading 12 people from 5 households to move to evacuation shelters. Additionally, as the Jeungsimcheon Bridge near Mudeungsan National Park reached a flood risk level, 12 residents from 6 nearby households evacuated to a nearby administrative welfare center or relatives' homes.

Underground parking lots and roads were submerged, paralyzing traffic. The underground parking lot of the Agricultural and Marine Products Distribution Center in Maewol-dong, Seo-gu, was flooded, and reports were received of flooding in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Usan-dong, Gwangsan-gu.

In addition, due to soil erosion near Gakhwa IC and Gakhwa Bridge, sinkholes occurred near the Namgwangju Intersection toward Jisansa Intersection and near Chosun University, resulting in the closure of 13 roads in the jurisdiction due to the overnight heavy rain.