Latest news with #SouthChungcheong
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Four dead as South Korea lashed by torrential rain, displacing thousands
Four people have been confirmed dead and at least two others missing as torrential rains continue to batter South Korea for a fourth consecutive day, forcing thousands of people from their homes and stranding livestock in rising floodwaters, authorities said. Authorities warned on Saturday that up to 250mm (9.8 inches) of additional rain could fall throughout the day, raising concerns of further damage and casualties, the country's official Yonhap news agency reports. Rain is forecast to last until Monday in some areas, and weather officials have urged extreme caution against the risk of landslides and flooding, with warnings issued for most of South Korea. More than 2,800 people are still unable to return to their homes out of a total of more than 7,000 people evacuated in recent days, the Ministry of Interior said. Rainfall since Wednesday reached a record of more than 500mm (almost 20 inches) in South Chungcheong province's Seosan, located to the south of the capital, Seoul, the ministry added. According to Yonhap, areas of the country have received 40 percent of their annual average rainfall in just the past four days. Among those reported dead was a person who suffered a cardiac arrest inside a flooded vehicle on a road in Seosan. The man was taken to a nearby hospital but died later, officials were quoted by Yonhap as saying. A man in his 80s was found dead in the flooded basement of his home, while a third person died when a retaining wall collapsed onto a moving vehicle. Another person was also found dead in a stream, officials said. Two people remain missing in the southwest city of Gwangju. In the province of Chungcheong, cows were desperately trying to keep their heads above water after sheds and stables were flooded by the rainwater. Yonhap also reported a total of 729 cases of damage to public infrastructure, including flooded roads and the collapse of river facilities. Cases of private property damage have reached more than 1,000, including 64 flooded buildings and 59 submerged farmlands, it added. Rains were also expected in neighbouring North Korea. In July 2024, torrential rains also hammered parts of South Korea's southern regions, killing at least four people and causing travel chaos.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Heavy rain in South Korea leaves at least four dead and 1,300 forced to evacuate
Heavy rain in South Korea has led to the deaths of at least four people and the evacuation of 1,300 others, officials confirmed on Thursday. One person tragically died in Osan, just south of Seoul, on Wednesday when their car was engulfed by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed during the heavy rain, the Interior and Safety Ministry reported. In Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, a man in his 50s died after his car was swept away in floodwaters. According to local reports, he called his wife in the early hours of Thursday and said: 'The car is being swept away.' Emergency crews found the submerged vehicle around 6.15am and rushed him to Seosan Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities had received a report about sunken vehicles at 3.59am and rescued three people from another car just an hour earlier. Separately, two other individuals were found dead on Thursday in southern regions, discovered in a stream, and a flooded basement. Ministry officials are currently investigating whether these deaths were directly attributable to the severe weather. The relentless rain has forced 1,382 residents from their homes, the ministry stated, adding that 46 flights have also been cancelled across the country. Parts of the southern South Chungcheong province have borne the brunt of the deluge, recording up to 420 millimetres (16.5 inches) of rain since Wednesday. Footage showed a highway was blocked by a major landslide triggered by the torrential rain. Mud and debris covered a road as emergency crews and heavy machinery worked to clear the scene in Dangjin, South Chungcheong. More wet weather was forecast for Thursday night, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Around 403 schools were closed and 166 people reported property damage from the heavy rain, the Ministry of Education said.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Torrential rain triggers landslide on major South Korea highway
A highway was blocked by a major landslide triggered by torrential rain in South Korea on Thursday (17 July). Footage showed mud and debris covering a road as emergency crews and heavy machinery worked to clear the scene in Dangjin, South Chungcheong. Downpours resulted in record rainfall in the area and more wet weather was forecast for Thursday night, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Around 403 schools were closed and 166 reported property damage from the heavy rain, the Ministry of Education said.
Associated Press
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
At least 4 dead and 1,300 evacuated after heavy rain in South Korea
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Two days of heavy downpours in South Korea have killed at least four people and forced more than 1,300 others to evacuate, officials said Thursday. One person was killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul , during heavy rain on Wednesday, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. Three other people were separately found dead Thursday in a submerged car, a stream, and a flooded basement in southern regions. Ministry officials said they were still investigating whether those deaths were directly caused by heavy rain. The heavy rain has forced the evacuation of 1,382 people from their homes, the ministry said in a statement, adding 46 flights have been cancelled. Parts of southern South Chungcheong province have received up to 420 millimeters (16.5 inches) of rain since Wednesday, according to the ministry.
Free Malaysia Today
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
3 dead as S. Korean region hit by most rain in 120 years
The western Seosan area was hit by rainfall peaking at 114.9mm per hour. (EPA Images pic) SEOSAN CITY : At least three people were killed and more than 1,000 evacuated today after South Korea was hit by torrential rains, officials said, with one region pummelled by the most rainfall per hour since full records began. South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July, but three areas in the country's South Chungcheong province this week saw some of the heaviest hourly downpours on record, official weather data showed. Three people were killed today, the ministry of interior and safety said, all in South Chuncheong province. 'As of 4pm local time at least three people have died today due to torrential rains,' a ministry of interior and safety official told AFP, adding that more than 1,000 people had been evacuated. Police told AFP that one person was found inside a submerged vehicle, an elderly man was swept away near a stream, and another elderly man had been found dead in a flooded basement apartment after his son reported him missing. The western Seosan area was hit by rainfall peaking at 114.9mm per hour, 'a level typically seen only once in 100 years', a weather agency official told AFP, adding that this was the highest rate since full records began in 1904. The heavy rains were due to 'warm and moist air flowing in along the edge of the North Pacific High, triggering strong atmospheric instability', the official added. South Korean broadcasters ran videos of severe flooding in Seosan, with water swamping markets and apartment complexes, as well as submerging parked cars. AFP reporters saw residents in Seosan struggling to clean up the aftermath of the floods today, with parking lots and shops still seen flooded with muddy water. Choi Hee-jin, a nightclub owner, told AFP it had been 'heartbreaking' to return to her business after the floods had swept through. 'Water had completely filled the club, and everything – sofas, fridges, furniture, even computers – was just floating around,' Choi said. 'How do you think it feels to see that? Honestly, it felt like the world was collapsing. There are no words to describe it.' The national weather agency said in a statement that nearly 440mm of rain had fallen in Seosan by 10.30am today – equivalent to 35% of the region's average annual rainfall. 'The water is just too deep and so much mud has been pushed in that I've already been working for about five hours trying to drain it all out,' said Kim Min-seo, a 50-year-old restaurant worker, as she scrubbed the muddy floor. 'I'm still not done,' she added. Evacuation orders Residents in Hongseong county, in South Chungcheong province, were ordered to 'evacuate immediately to a safe location' early this morning due to flooding from a nearby stream. Several schools and nurseries in the county were also closed. South Korea is regularly hit by flooding during the summer monsoon period, but is typically well-prepared and the death toll is usually relatively low. Scientists say climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and frequent. South Korea also endured record-breaking rains and flooding in 2022, which left at least 11 people dead. They included three people who died trapped in a Seoul basement apartment of the kind that became internationally known because of the Oscar-winning Korean film 'Parasite'. The government said at the time that the rainfall was the heaviest since records began, blaming climate change for the extreme weather.
