Extreme flood in South Korea: at least 8 dead in the capital Seoul

by time news

Floods in South Korea

At least eight people died in and around Seoul overnight, South Korean authorities said Tuesday, after torrential rain knocked out power, triggered landslides and left roads and subways submerged.

The southern part of the capital saw more than 3.9 centimeters of rain per hour late Monday, with some parts of the city receiving 5.5 centimeters, the heaviest rainfall in decades, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Cumulative rainfall in Seoul since midnight Monday stood at 17.7 inches as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, with another forecast.

President Yoon Seok-yeol on Tuesday visited a semi-basement apartment where three family members died the night before after fast-moving floodwaters filled the space. The dangers of such underground dwellings, called banjiha, were famously depicted in a flood scene in the 2020 Oscar-winning film Parasite. Yun told area residents he would try to ensure their lives would return to normal as quickly as possible, and he directed officials to review measures to better ensure housing safety, according to a statement from his office.

At least five people died in Seoul and three others in neighboring Gyeonggi Province by Tuesday, the Central Headquarters for Disaster Mitigation and Safety said. Four, including the three family members, died after drowning in flooded buildings, one is believed to have been electrocuted, another person was found under the rubble of a bus station, and the other two died in a landslide.

A bridge submerged in the previous day’s torrential rain on the Han River in Seoul. Seoul was hit by the heaviest amount of precipitation in decades. Seoul was hit by the heaviest amount of precipitation in decades. At least nine people were injured, while seven were missing.

More in-

In the glitzy and crowded Gangnam district, several buildings and shops were flooded and without power, while cars, buses and subway stations were submerged, leaving people stranded.

Lim Na-kyung, a 31-year-old office worker, recounted her fears since Monday night, saying the situation reminded her of a scene from the 1997 movie Titanic: “I had to keep going up higher and higher because the building was sinking at a fast rate… I couldn’t believe I was trapped in the building with 40 other people in the middle of Gangnam District,” said the mother of two, who eventually Had to spend the night at the pilates center on the fourth floor.

Data showed that at least 765 facilities were damaged. About 52 highways and roads were blocked. About 391 people were displaced in the greater Seoul area, most of them forced to stay in local schools and gyms. Another 399 temporarily moved to community centers and schools, according to the data.

The headquarters raised the crisis alert to the highest level and asked the organizations to adjust their working hours. The KMA issued warnings of heavy rain across the capital and the metropolitan area of ​​26 million, as well as parts of Gangwon and Chongqing provinces.

KMA predicts heavy rains in the central part of the country that will last until at least Wednesday. While South Korea often experiences heavy rains in the summer, “such a sharp increase in precipitation and frequent downpours cannot be explained without the larger trend of climate change,” said a KMA official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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