Unexpected Heavy Rainstorm Causes Multiple Deaths and Flood Damage in Gyeongnam Region

In the Gyeongnam region, damage continued as residents were swept away by floodwaters caused by heavy rain on Children's Day, May 5.

According to Gyeongnam Province, Gyeongnam and Changwon Fire Headquarters on the 6th, a man in his 70s who was swept away by overflowing agricultural waterways in Daegam-myeon, Goseong-gun at around 5:33 p.m. the previous day was found dead at around 5:33 a.m. on the same day.

Firefighters are searching for a missing man. [Image source=Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]

The man found on the second day of the search was located in an agricultural waterway about 300 meters away from the point where he was last seen by nearby residents the day before.

The police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident, believing that Mr. A had an accident while trying to drain the rainwater that had accumulated in the agricultural waterway.

At around 11:39 p.m. the previous night, two villages in Daeyang-myeon, Hapcheon-gun were flooded, and 40 residents evacuated to nearby welfare centers, relatives' homes, and hospitals.

Four villages in Jinju and one village in Namhae evacuated 33 people from 30 households to senior centers, churches, and village halls due to risks of landslides, and one village in Hadong evacuated due to the risk of retaining wall collapse.

A village in Daeyang-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam was flooded by rainwater. [Image source=Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]

On a road in Sangnam-dong, Seongsan-gu, Changwon City, a traffic control sign was damaged by strong winds the previous night, and a house in Sinwol-dong was flooded, requiring the removal of about 2 tons of rainwater.

In Angol-dong, Jinhae-gu, a utility pole and trees fell, and power outages occurred in Sapa-dong, Seongsan-gu and Gapo-dong, Masanhappo-gu, with damage reported in various locations.

As of 6 a.m. on the 6th, the Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters and Changwon Fire Headquarters received a total of 69 damage reports due to the heavy rain, with an average cumulative rainfall of 108.3 mm since the previous day until 6 a.m.

Among them, Namhae recorded the highest rainfall at 260.6 mm, followed by Hadong with 234.5 mm, Jinju 156.5 mm, Changwon 133.3 mm, and Goseong 113.0 mm.

The heavy rain warnings issued across the province were lifted around 4 a.m. that day, but Gyeongnam Province plans to gradually lift restrictions on controlled areas such as low-water roads, riverside parking lots, walking trails, and coastal lowlands as river water levels and other risk factors subside.