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Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Death toll from S Korea rains rises to 18 as met agency warns of heatwaves
Torrential rains that lashed South Korea have killed at least 18 people and left nine others missing, authorities said, as the government lifted advisories for heavy rain and the meteorological agency warned of a return of heatwaves to southern parts of the country. The toll on Monday came as South Korea's military also announced dispatching thousands of troops to rain-ravaged areas to assist in recovery efforts. The downpours began on July 16 and brought some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record to some of South Korea's central and southern provinces. The five-day deluge collapsed homes, triggered landslides and unleashed flash floods that swept away cars and campers. At least 10 people were killed in the southern county of Sancheong, and four others remain missing there, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Another person was killed when their house collapsed in the town of Gapyeong, northeast of the capital, Seoul, while a man who had been camping near a stream there was found dead after being swept away by rapid currents. The man's wife and teenage son remain missing, the South Korean JoongAng Daily reported. Two others, including a man in his 70s who had been buried in a landslide, were listed as missing in the same town. The rains also forced some 14,166 people to evacuate their homes in 15 cities and provinces, and caused 'extensive property damage', the Yonhap news agency reported. The agency said 1,999 cases of damage had been recorded at public facilities, and 2,238 cases were recorded at private homes and buildings. South Korea's military said it has dispatched some 2,500 personnel to the southwestern city of Gwangju as well as the South Chungcheong and South Gyeongsang provinces to assist in the recovery efforts. The troops will be overhauling homes and stores affected by the rains, it said. Hannah June Kim, an associate professor in the Graduate School of International Studies at Sogang University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera that 'a lot of people were taken off guard' because monsoonal rains came later than expected this year. 'The expectation was that monsoons would not be appearing during this summer,' she said. 'So, when this heavy rain started to fall this past week, a lot of local areas were unprepared.' 'We are seeing the heavy effects of climate change and how it's affecting different areas,' she added. South Korea's Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast more rainfall in the southern regions on Monday but said that a heatwave would follow. According to the JoongAng Daily, heatwave advisories and warnings have already been issued for parts of South Jeolla, the east coast of Gangwon and Jeju Island. 'From July 24 onward, morning lows will remain between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius [73.4F to 78.8F], and daytime highs will range from 30 to 35 degrees Celsius [86F to 95F], higher than the seasonal averages of 22 to 25 degrees Celsius [71.6F to 77F] in the morning and 29 to 33 degrees Celsius [84.2F to 91.4F] during the day,' it reported, citing the KMA. Scientists say climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world. In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people. They included three people who died trapped in a Seoul basement apartment of the kind that became internationally known because of the Oscar-winning Korean film Parasite. The government said at the time that the rainfall was the heaviest since records began, blaming climate change for the extreme weather.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Seventeen dead and 11 missing after torrential rain in South Korea
Torrential rain that battered South Korea for five days has left 17 people dead and 11 others missing, the government has said. One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town north-east of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. Advertisement The ministry said 10 people were discovered dead and four others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong over the weekend after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods. A ministry report said one person died in the southern city of Gwangju. It said seven others remain missing in Gwangju, Gapyeong and elsewhere. A shop slid into floodwater after heavy rain in Gapyeong, South Korea (Lee Young-hwan/Newsis/AP) Earlier last week, a person was killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. Three others were found dead in a submerged car, a swollen stream and a flooded basement in southern South Chungcheong province. As of 4pm local time on Sunday, about 2,730 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. Advertisement But the rain has stopped in most of South Korea and heavy rain alerts have subsequently been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. Since Wednesday, southern regions have received 24-31in of rain, according to the ministry report. President Lee Jae Myung expressed deep sympathy to those who lost their loved ones and suffered financial damage due to the heavy downpours. He said the government will push to designate areas hit hard as special disaster zones, which would provide them with greater financial and other recovery support. Advertisement
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Fourteen dead and 12 missing after torrential rain in South Korea
Torrential rain that battered South Korea for five days has left 14 people dead and 12 others missing, the government has said. One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town north-east of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. Advertisement The ministry said eight people were discovered dead and six others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong on Saturday after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods. A ministry report said six people remain missing in Gapyeong and the southern city of Gwangju. A shop slid into floodwater after heavy rain in Gapyeong, South Korea (Lee Young-hwan/Newsis/AP) Earlier last week, three people were found dead in a submerged car, and a person was also killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. As of 9am local time on Sunday, about 3,840 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. Advertisement But the rain has stopped in most of South Korea and heavy rain alerts have subsequently been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. Since Wednesday, southern regions have received 24-31in of rain, according to the ministry report.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fourteen dead and 12 missing after torrential rain in South Korea
Torrential rain that battered South Korea for five days has left 14 people dead and 12 others missing, the government has said. One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town north-east of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. The ministry said eight people were discovered dead and six others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong on Saturday after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods. A ministry report said six people remain missing in Gapyeong and the southern city of Gwangju. Earlier last week, three people were found dead in a submerged car, and a person was also killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. As of 9am local time on Sunday, about 3,840 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. But the rain has stopped in most of South Korea and heavy rain alerts have subsequently been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. Since Wednesday, southern regions have received 24-31in of rain, according to the ministry report.
Arab News
a day ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Heavy rains in South Korea leave 14 dead and 12 others missing
SEOUL: Torrential rains that slammed South Korea for five days have left 14 people dead and 12 others missing, the government said Sunday. One person was killed on Sunday after their house collapsed during heavy rain and another person was found dead after being swept by a swollen stream in Gapyeong, a town northeast of Seoul, the Interior and Safety Ministry said. The ministry said eight people were discovered dead and six others were reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong on Saturday after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods there. A ministry report said that six people remain missing in Gapyeong and the southern city of Gwangju. Earlier last week, three people were found dead in a submerged car, and a person was also killed when their car was buried by soil and concrete after a retaining wall of an overpass collapsed in Osan, just south of Seoul, during heavy rain. As of 9 a.m. on Sunday, about 3,840 people remain evacuated from their homes, the ministry report said. The rain stopped in most of South Korea on Sunday, and heavy rain alerts have been subsequently lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said. Since Wednesday, southern regions have received up to about 600-800 millimeters (24-31 inches) of rain, according to the ministry report.
