33 Households Evacuated in Seoul, Busan, and Other Areas Due to Heavy Rain... Houses and Vehicles Flooded

Heavy Rain Warnings in Effect for Jeonnam Coastal and Gyeongnam Southern Coastal Areas

Due to continuous heavy rain, damage is occurring in various parts of the country.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on the 12th, a 68-year-old woman went missing around 3:34 PM the previous day near Hakjangcheon in Sasang-gu, Busan. Firefighters and police are searching for the missing person.

At 9:03 AM the previous day in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, a 75-year-old man died. It is presumed that he slipped while taking a walk near Soyangcheon. The CDSCH classified this as a safety accident rather than a casualty caused by heavy rain.

In Wonju, Gangwon Province, and Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, six houses were temporarily flooded. In Haeundae-gu, Busan, seven vehicles were submerged, and in Buk-gu, Daegu, a 200-meter-long retaining wall at a demolition site collapsed, damaging 29 vehicles.

Additionally, in Suyeong-gu, Busan, 220 apartment units experienced power outages.

On the afternoon of the 11th, when a heavy rain warning was issued across Seoul, foreigners wearing raincoats were waiting for the pedestrian signal to change in downtown Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In four cities and provinces including Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, and North Gyeongsang Province, 33 households comprising 52 people temporarily evacuated from 10 districts and counties. Currently, 26 households with 42 people have not yet returned home.

As of 6 AM that day, 19 roads in Busan and Gyeonggi were closed, and 153 riverside locations including 27 in Seoul, as well as 88 riverside parking lots, were also closed. Access to 455 trails in 17 national parks, including Jirisan, was restricted.

In Seoul, heavy rain caused the suspension of subway Line 1 service on some sections for a brief period the previous afternoon, but service resumed after 16 minutes.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 6 AM that day, heavy rain warnings were in effect for the southern coast of Jeollanam-do and the southern coast of Gyeongnam, with very heavy rain accompanied by gusts and thunder and lightning falling at a rate of 20 to 50 mm per hour in some areas.

Until the afternoon, very heavy rain accompanied by gusts and thunder and lightning, with hourly rates of 30 to 60 mm, is expected mainly in the southern regions.

The CDSCH has maintained a Level 2 emergency response and the crisis alert at the 'Warning' stage since the previous afternoon. The CDSCH chief (Han Chang-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety) requested the maintenance of the emergency response system in preparation for heavy rain.