Medical students missing during MT trip to Iksan amid heavy rain... Police and fire department searching

"Friend Went Outside but Can't Be Reached" Report
Search Hampered by Lack of CCTV Around Pension

A college student who went on an MT trip to Iksan, Jeonbuk, went missing amid record heavy rain, prompting police and fire authorities to launch a search.

According to Yonhap News Agency and the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency on the 11th, a report was received around 11 a.m. the previous day stating, "My friend went outside around 4 a.m., but I can't reach him."

Based on the informant's statement, the police estimated that A (22), a medical student attending a university in the province, left a pension in Geumma-myeon, Iksan City, around 4 a.m. At that time, a heavy rain warning was in effect in the area, with heavy rainfall of 60 to 80 mm per hour pouring down. As a result, some roads were already flooded, and drainage channels were filled with water.

Firefighters searching for missing persons. [Image provided by Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Fire Headquarters]

Immediately after the report, police and fire authorities deployed 25 search personnel to search the drainage channels, roads, and surrounding areas but did not find A. On the morning of the second day of the disappearance, from 9 a.m., about 100 personnel, drones, and search dogs were deployed to find A.

The police stated that the search is facing difficulties because there are not many closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras near the pension where A was staying. A police official said, "The report was somewhat delayed because the college students were drinking until late," adding, "The missing person went outside when heavy rain was pouring, making it difficult to find his whereabouts." He further added, "We plan to mobilize all detectives and riot police to search for the missing person."