Torrential rain pounds South Korea for third day as thousands take shelter, Asia News
Torrential rain warnings remain in effect for most of the country's western and southern regions and the weather service has advised extreme caution against landslides and flooding through Saturday.
Some parts in the south including the city of Gwangju were hit by record precipitation of more than 400 millimetres in the past 24 hours as of early on Friday, the safety ministry said.
Four people have died and one remained missing, it said. Two were trapped in cars on flooded roads and another died in a basement under flood water in the central South Chungcheong province, it said.
A driver was also killed after a 10-metre-high roadside wall collapsed on top of a moving vehicle on Wednesday in Osan, some 44 kilometres south of Seoul, fire agency officials said.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who has been vocal about stepping up the government's role in disaster prevention and response, said while natural disasters were hard to prevent, more can be done to anticipate damage and warn the public.
"I see there were cases where casualties occurred because of a poor response when the situation was reasonably predictable," he said at an emergency meeting on the weather on Friday, calling for all available resources to be deployed.
[[nid:720324]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
5 days ago
- CNA
South Korea's Lee declares disaster zones after floods
SEOUL: South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung declared six districts as special disaster zones on Tuesday (Jul 22) after days of torrential rains left a trail of destruction in parts of the country. The wet weather has now subsided, though media reports said heavy rainfall was drenching parts of North Korea. Around 19 people have died and nine were still missing in South Korea as of Tuesday morning, while 2,549 people were still displaced, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said. Around 3,776 facilities, including homes, shops and factories, needing to be cleared of water, debris and earth, the ministry added. President Lee's declaration of special disaster zones - including in Gapeyeong on the outskirts of Seoul - gave authorities access to emergency administrative and financial support to aid victims. He earlier told public officials to "spare no effort" in the search for missing people. The president's approval rating slipped to 62.2 per cent from 64.6 per cent in a survey conducted last week during the rains, according to pollster Realmeter.
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- AsiaOne
Torrential rain leaves at least 18 dead in South Korea, trail of devastation, Asia News
GAPYEONG, South Korea — Severe wet weather in South Korea eased on Monday (July 21) following days of torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides and left at least 18 people dead, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Monday. Nine people remained missing as of Sunday evening, the ministry said, with residents of the worst-hit areas in shock. At Gapyeong, some 62 kilometres northeast of the capital Seoul, some residents recalled narrow escapes from the floods after 173 millimetres of rain deluged the area over just 17 hours on Sunday. Gapyeong was among a number of places that saw a record amount of rain in a single day and broke the previous high for national daily precipitation of 156.3 mm that was set on Sept 30, 1998. "The ground just sank beneath me, and the water rose all the way up to my neck. Luckily, there was an iron pipe nearby. I held on to it with all my strength," said Ahn Gyeong-bun, the owner of a restaurant that was almost completely destroyed. Two people died and four were missing after a landslide engulfed homes around Gapyeong and floods swept away vehicles as of Sunday, the ministry said. For those remaining like Ahn, an uncertain future awaits. "I've run this restaurant for 10 years... What am I supposed to do now?" said Ahn, as she stood next to the badly damaged structure of her building perched next to a still swollen river. At times breaking down in tears, the 65-year-old said several of the restaurant's refrigerators were washed away by the flood. Across South Korea, rain damage had been reported to 1,999 public structures and 2,238 private facilities, including farms, the interior ministry said. While the rain has eased, the national weather agency has now issued a nationwide heatwave watch. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough response to the disaster, his office said. "As local heavy rains have become commonplace, customised measures based on regional characteristics are urgently needed," said Kang Yu-jung, the spokesperson for Lee's office. "If serious laxity or mistakes are found in civil servants' discipline, we will hold them accountable and thorough measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence." Lee, who took office in June, has promised to make the country safer and to prevent any repeat of the disasters in recent years that have often been blamed on the inadequate response by authorities. [[nid:720421]]
Straits Times
7 days ago
- Straits Times
Torrential rain leaves at least 18 dead in South Korea, trail of devastation
Find out what's new on ST website and app. GAPYEONG, South Korea – Severe wet weather in South Korea eased on July 21 following days of torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides and left at least 18 people dead. Nine people remained missing as of July 20, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, with residents of the worst-hit areas in shock. At Gapyeong, some 62km north-east of the capital Seoul, some residents recalled narrow escapes from the floods after 173mm of rain deluged the area over just 17 hours on July 20. Gapyeong was among a number of places that saw a record amount of rain in a single day and broke the previous high for national daily precipitation of 156.3mm that was set on Sept 30, 1998. 'The ground just sank beneath me, and the water rose all the way up to my neck. Luckily, there was an iron pipe nearby. I held on to it with all my strength,' said Ms Ahn Gyeong-bun, owner of a restaurant that was almost completely destroyed. Two people died and four were missing after a landslide engulfed homes around Gapyeong and floods swept away vehicles. For those remaining like Ms Ahn, an uncertain future awaits. 'I've run this restaurant for 10 years… What am I supposed to do now?' said Ms Ahn, as she stood next to the badly damaged structure of her building perched next to a still swollen river. At times breaking down in tears, the 65-year-old said several of the restaurant's refrigerators were washed away by the flood. Across South Korea, rain damage had been reported to 1,999 public structures and 2,238 private facilities, including farms, the Interior Ministry said. While the rain has eased, the national weather agency has now issued a nationwide heatwave watch. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough response to the disaster, his office said. 'As local heavy rains have become commonplace, customised measures based on regional characteristics are urgently needed,' said Mr Kang Yu-jung, a spokesman for Mr Lee's office. 'If serious laxity or mistakes are found in civil servants' discipline, we will hold them accountable and thorough measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence,' he added. Mr Lee, who took office in June, has promised to make South Korea safer and to prevent any repeat of the disasters in recent years that have often been blamed on the inadequate response by the authorities. REUTERS
