Firefighters continue with drainage and search operations in areas affected by heavy rains.
At least 40 people have died and nine are missing amid strong floods and landslides produced in South Korea in recent days as a result of torrential rains, local media report, citing South Korean authorities.
According to data provided this Monday by the South Korean Ministry of the Interior and Security, 13 of the deceased they lost their lives in the underground tunnel Gungpyeong 2, located in the city of Cheongju, in the center of the country. The pass flooded last Saturday, trapping at least 16 vehicles, including a bus.
During the third day of the rescue, the firefighters continued the drainage and search operations, mobilizing 486 rescuers and 81 teams. As a result, another body was found, increasing the number of fatalities by one, compared to 39 registered at 6:00 am (local time) on the same day.
According to the Ministry, nine people are still missing in two provinces in the northeast of the country, and at least 34 have been injured.
South Korea hit with landslides and floods🔸1,567 people had been evacuated nationwide, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety with local government’s evacuation orders covering more than 7,000 people at various times. pic.twitter.com/NLAsxExbsn
— DD India (@DDIndialive) July 15, 2023
In addition, an increase in the number of people evacuated and the scale of damage caused by heavy rains are reported. Until 11:00 a.m. on Monday, 10,608 residents of 6,258 households They had been evacuated, authorities said.
Throughout the country there were 631 cases of damage to public facilitiesincluding 170 cases of destruction of river embankments, 147 cases of loss of highway embankments, and nine cases of rockfalls and landslides.
Rescue workers pulled seven bodies from vehicles trapped in a flooded underpass in central South Korea, authorities said Sunday, after days of torrential rain caused landslides and flash floods that have killed at least 33 people. pic.twitter.com/ElZntAGti3
—Asiafoc (@Asiafoc) July 17, 2023
Several hundred houses and private facilities have also suffered damage, with 139 houses flooded and 52 destroyed, the Ministry detailed.
The South Korean Meteorological Administration said the center and south of the country could receive up to 300mm of additional rain by Tuesday.
Although South Korea usually experiences heavy rains in summer, in recent years it has seen a drastic increase in rainfall, claiming dozens of lives and causing property damage.
Source: RT
