
Torrential rain leaves at least 18 dead in South Korea, trail of devastation
Nine people remained missing as of Sunday evening, the ministry said, with residents of the worst-hit areas in shock.
At Gapyeong, some 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) northeast of the capital Seoul, some residents recalled narrow escapes from the floods after 173 millimeters (6.8 inches) of rain deluged the area over just 17 hours on Sunday.
Gapyeong was among a number of places that saw a record amount of rain in a single day and broke the previous high for national daily precipitation of 156.3 mm that was set on September 30, 1998.
'The ground just sank beneath me, and the water rose all the way up to my neck. Luckily, there was an iron pipe nearby. I held on to it with all my strength,' said Ahn Gyeong-bun, the owner of a restaurant that was almost completely destroyed.
Two people died and four were missing after a landslide engulfed homes around Gapyeong and floods swept away vehicles as of Sunday, the ministry said.
For those remaining like Ahn, an uncertain future awaits.
'I've run this restaurant for 10 years ... What am I supposed to do now?' said Ahn, as she stood next to the badly damaged structure of her building perched next to a still swollen river.
At times breaking down in tears, the 65-year-old said several of the restaurant's refrigerators were washed away by the flood.
Across South Korea, rain damage had been reported to 1,999 public structures and 2,238 private facilities, including farms, the interior ministry said.
While the rain has eased, the national weather agency has now issued a nationwide heatwave watch.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough response to the disaster, his office said.
'As local heavy rains have become commonplace, customised measures based on regional characteristics are urgently needed,' said Kang Yu-jung, the spokesperson for Lee's office.
'If serious laxity or mistakes are found in civil servants' discipline, we will hold them accountable and thorough measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence.'
Lee, who took office in June, has promised to make the country safer and to prevent any repeat of the disasters in recent years that have often been blamed on the inadequate response by authorities.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Greek heatwave drags out as temperatures near 46C
ATHENS: A week-long heatwave in Greece that began on Monday is now expected to last more than a week, the country's weather service said as temperatures on Friday neared 46C. The National Observatory in Athens said the warmest temperature recorded was 45.8C in the Peloponnese region of Messinia. In Athens, the highest temperature in parts of the capital was 42C, also recorded in the main port of Piraeus. Officials once again modified the opening hours of the Acropolis, the country's top archaeological site, for the safety of visitors and staff. The monument was shut from midday to 5:00 p.m. — the hottest part of the day — in line with usual safety rules. The Greek weather agency EMY modified a warning note to reflect that temperatures would begin falling after Monday July 28, instead of on the weekend as it had previously reported. Northern winds are expected to pick up later Friday, raising the risk of fires, EMY said. A wildfire earlier this week destroyed more than 2,800 acres (1,130 hectares) of forest and grassland near the mountain village of Feneos in the Peloponnese. It was apparently started by two workmen using welding equipment near a forest. Over half of the area affected was a pine forest that cannot regenerate, the National Observatory said. On Friday, a fire burning near the city of Kilkis in northern Greece forced the evacuation of a university, homes and businesses, the fire service said. A high of 44C was expected in Greece on Saturday, with a maximum of 42C forecast in Athens, the agency said. In neighboring Albania, there were 10 active fires including one in Delvina, near the border with Greece. Another fire in Kakavia, near the border crossing with Greece, was brought under control on Thursday.


Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Heavy storms in northern Vietnam leave 1 dead, as Wipha weakens into a tropical depression
HANOI: Heavy storms in northern Vietnam left one person dead and another missing, police said Wednesday, as Wipha weakened from a tropical storm into a depression. A 59-year-old man was killed in Nghe An province when a tree fell on his house on Sunday before the storm made landfall, police said. Nghe An, which stretches from the coast to the mountainous Laos border, was among the areas hit hardest by heavy rain and floods. Another woman was swept away by floodwaters and remains missing. Four other people were injured. Flooding damaged hundreds of homes, destroyed crops and cut off remote communities, officials said. Nearly 400 households were evacuated from the province's landslide-prone areas, and several upland communities remain isolated without electricity or communication, officials said. Heavy rains triggered landslides that damaged roads, collapsed part of a school building and destroyed crops and forest. The storm made landfall Tuesday morning with sustained winds of up to 102 kilometers per hour (63 mph) before weakening as it moved inland. It caused power outages, disrupted farming operations and forced temporary airport closures in northern provinces. In neighboring Thailand, heavy rain from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning triggered flooding in several northern provinces, swelling rivers and inundating homes. Authorities said more than 350 people were affected, though no casualties have been reported. They warned of possible flash floods and landslides.


Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
Heavy storms in northern Vietnam leave 1 dead, as Wipha weakens into a tropical depression
Heavy storms in northern Vietnam left one person dead and another missing, police said Wednesday, as Wipha weakened from a tropical storm into a depression. A 59-year-old man was killed in Nghe An province when a tree fell on his house on Sunday before the storm made landfall, police said. Nghe An, which stretches from the coast to the mountainous Laos border, was among the areas hit hardest by heavy rain and floods. Another woman was swept away by floodwaters and remains missing. Four other people were injured. Flooding damaged hundreds of homes, destroyed crops, and cut off remote communities, officials said. Nearly 400 households were evacuated from the province's landslide-prone areas, and several upland communities remain isolated without electricity or communication, officials said. Heavy rains triggered landslides that damaged roads, collapsed part of a school building, and destroyed crops and forest. The storm made landfall Tuesday morning with sustained winds of up to 102 kilometers per hour (63 mph) before weakening as it moved inland. It caused power outages, disrupted farming operations, and forced temporary airport closures in northern provinces. In neighboring Thailand, heavy rain from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning triggered flooding in several northern provinces, swelling rivers and inundating homes. Authorities said more than 350 people were affected, though no casualties have been reported. They warned of possible flash floods and landslides.