Car Owner Confirmed Deceased in 2003
Vehicle Believed Submerged During Typhoon Maemi
The water level at Obong Reservoir in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, has continued to hit record lows, exposing the reservoir bed, where a vehicle buried by flooding over 20 years ago was discovered. On September 4, Yonhap News Agency, citing police and fire authorities, reported that a Tico passenger car was found on the slope of Obong Reservoir at around 5:32 p.m. the previous day. A local government official passing by the area for drought relief work spotted the submerged vehicle in the reservoir and notified emergency services. The area where the vehicle was found would normally be underwater, but with the water level dropping to 13.8%, the reservoir bed became fully exposed, revealing the car.
No one was found inside the vehicle at the time of discovery. Police identified the owner of the car, but it was confirmed that the owner had already passed away in 2003. Authorities believe the vehicle was submerged during Typhoon Maemi, which struck the eastern coast of Gangwon Province in September 2003, the same year the owner died. Police have determined that there is no connection to any crime and are investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Meanwhile, on September 3, as Gangneung faced the worst drought conditions, the government decided to shut off 75% of water meters in the area and began door-to-door inspections through water meter inspectors. In addition, 47 public restrooms were closed, the operation of three swimming pools was suspended, and, as of the previous day, two youth cafes at the Youth Support Center for Out-of-School Youth were also shut down. Around 140 vehicles from the fire department and military delivered a total of 6,482 tons of water to Obong Reservoir and Hongchae Water Purification Plant. Alternative water supplies amounted to about 20,000 tons. With bottled water arriving from across the country, 1.71 million bottles are currently in reserve, excluding the 280,000 bottles distributed to senior welfare facilities and schools.
On the 2nd, water cannon trucks that came from all over the country to provide support were collecting water from a river on the outskirts of Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, to be supplied to Obong Reservoir, the water source for Gangneung City. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Meanwhile, due to a trough of low pressure descending from the north, rain is falling in various parts of the country, including the Seoul metropolitan area, on September 4. The rain is expected to continue in most regions throughout the weekend, not only due to the low pressure but also because of easterly winds blowing between South Korea and Typhoon Peipah, the 15th typhoon of the season. However, Gangneung, which is experiencing a historic drought, is outside the main rainfall zone, making it unlikely that the drought will be alleviated anytime soon.
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