500 evacuated as heavy rain floods roads, homes in southern regions

Water volume in a local stream in Daejeon gets bigger due to heavy overnight rains, Saturday. Yonhap

Heavy overnight rains across Korea triggered landslides and flooding, forcing the evacuation of more than 500 people in southern regions as roads and buildings were submerged on Saturday.

Heavy rain warnings were in effect across the southern Gyeongsang region and parts of Gangwon, Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces as of Saturday morning, with up to 60 millimeters of more rainfall expected, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported that 506 people from 342 households in North and South Gyeongsang provinces, Busan and South Chungcheong Province were evacuated as of 4 a.m. due to the heavy rains.

The majority of them, 436, were residents of North Gyeongsang Province.

Most of the evacuees — 494 people from 330 households — remained displaced, taking shelter in temporary or community facilities, the government said.

Heavy rains also flooded 54 sections of public roads, leading 한국을 to seven incidents of soil loss and the collapse of a retaining wall.

A total of 10 private houses were also inundated, impacting more than 10 private facilities, such as stores and factories.

As of Saturday morning, 38 sections of roads in Gangwon and South Gyeongsang provinces and other areas, along with 41 underground roadways, were blocked due to safety concerns. Additionally, 430 sections of 17 national parks across the nation remained inaccessible.

The interior ministry raised the heavy rain warning level from “caution” to “alert.

You may also like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *