2023-07-17 04:44:49
Rescuers work against time.
South Korean rescuers recovered nine other bodies this Sunday (07.16.2023) from a flooded tunnel where fifteen cars remained trapped in muddy terrain, bringing the total number of deaths from torrential rains that unleashed floods and landslides to 37. Most of the victims were residents of North Gyeongsang province.
There are also dozens of injured and thousands of people have had to be evacuated. The authorities also report that the number of disappeared so far reaches nine. South Korea is at the height of the summer monsoon season, with heavy rainfall over the past four days causing a major dam to overflow its banks.
About 900 rescue workers are still struggling to reach vehicles and an unknown number of people trapped in a 430-meter underground tunnel in Cheongju. This Sunday, they were trying to drain the tunnel to reach the victims, but the water still seemed too deep and muddy, full of debris, making the search difficult.
Houses swept away
Firefighters estimate that the tunnel, which was flooded on Saturday, took just three minutes to be completely covered by water. Among the trapped vehicles there is a bus, and it is unknown how many people were traveling in each of them. The situation has forced the deployment of divers and rubber boats, who are working tirelessly in search of more victims, the Interior Ministry said.
In the hardest-hit areas, “entire houses were swept away,” a rescue worker said. The rains also caused the suspension of rail service, with the exception of bullet trains that will continue to operate with possible schedule adjustments, according to the Korea Railway Corporation.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is on a trip abroad, held an emergency meeting with his aides on the government’s response to heavy rains and flooding, his office said. Earlier, he ordered Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to mobilize all available resources to minimize casualties.
DZC (AFP, AP)
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