Latest news with #Seosan
Emirates 24/7
a day ago
- Climate
- Emirates 24/7
Korea's death toll rises to 19 after heavy rains, landslides
Another person has been confirmed dead after last week's heavy rains and landslides, bringing the total death toll to 19, the government said Tuesday. Nine others also remain missing, raising the total number of those dead or unaccounted for from the heavy rainfall between Wednesday and Sunday to 28, according to tentative data from the interior ministry. The casualties include 10 dead in the southern county of Sancheong, three in the northern county of Gapyeong and two in the western city of Seosan, according to the ministry. Four of the missing were reported in Sancheong, while another four were reported in Gapyeong. Authorities have sped up recovery efforts, with about 2,976 of the 6,752 buildings and facilities reported damaged having undergone emergency restoration work. More than 14,000 people have taken shelter since the heavy rains started, with 2,549 people yet to return to their homes. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Four dead, 1,300 evacuated as heavy rains hit South Korea
Four people have died and another 1,300 evacuated as torrential rains pound South Korea, with authorities warning that the unseasonal deluge will continue. Among those killed were two men in their 80s. Authorities believe one of them was trying to drain flood waters from the basement of his home. A third victim was crushed when a wall collapsed onto his car. Moments before, he'd called his wife to say the vehicle was "being swept away", authorities say. The fourth victim died of a cardiac arrest. The record rainfall has prompted South Korea's government to raise the weather-related disaster alert to its highest level. More than 400mm of rain poured down in just half a day in Seosan, the worst-affected city, along the country's west coast - the weather agency described it as a once-in-a-century event. Photos and videos on social media show vehicles and homes submerged, with pieces of furniture floating in the water. "Everything is covered by water except the roof [of my house]," a resident in an affected area wrote online. Several injuries were reported across the country, including two people suffering from hypothermia and two others who sustained leg injuries. As of 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday, more than 1,300 people had been evacuated. Authorities have urged people to stay away from riverbanks, steep slopes and underground spaces, warning that the risk of landslides and flash floods remains high. Dry air from the north-west mixed with hot and humid air from the south to form especially large rain clouds, South Korea's meteorological administration says. But forecasters expect high temperatures to return next week, with the possibility of a heatwave.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
South Korea: Four dead, 1,300 evacuated as heavy rain drenches country
Four people have died and another 1,300 evacuated as torrential rains pound South Korea, with authorities warning that the unseasonal deluge will continue. Among those killed were two men in their 80s. Authorities believe one of them was trying to drain flood waters from the basement of his home. A third victim was crushed when a wall collapsed onto his car. Moments before, he'd called his wife to say the vehicle was "being swept away", authorities say. The fourth victim died of a cardiac record rainfall has prompted South Korea's government to raise the weather-related disaster alert to its highest level. More than 400mm of rain poured down in just half a day in Seosan, the worst-affected city, along the country's west coast - the weather agency described it as a once-in-a-century and videos on social media show vehicles and homes submerged, with pieces of furniture floating in the water. "Everything is covered by water except the roof [of my house]," a resident in an affected area wrote online. Several injuries were reported across the country, including two people suffering from hypothermia and two others who sustained leg injuries. As of 16:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday, more than 1,300 people had been evacuated. Authorities have urged people to stay away from riverbanks, steep slopes and underground spaces, warning that the risk of landslides and flash floods remains high. Dry air from the north-west mixed with hot and humid air from the south to form especially large rain clouds, South Korea's meteorological administration forecasters expect high temperatures to return next week, with the possibility of a heatwave.
The Australian
6 days ago
- Climate
- The Australian
Three dead as South Korean region hit by most rain in 120 years
At least three people were killed and more than 1,000 evacuated Thursday after South Korea was hit by torrential rains, officials said, with one region pummelled by the most rainfall per hour since full records began. South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July, but three areas in the country's South Chungcheong province this week saw some of the heaviest hourly downpours on record, official weather data showed. Three people were killed Thursday, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said, all in South Chuncheong province. "As of 4pm local time at least three people have died today due to torrential rains," a Ministry of Interior and Safety official told AFP, adding that more than 1,000 people had been evacuated. Police told AFP that one person was found inside a submerged vehicle, an elderly man was swept away near a stream, and another elderly man had been found dead in a flooded basement apartment after his son reported him missing. The western Seosan area was hit by rainfall peaking at 114.9 millimetres (4.5 inches) per hour, "a level typically seen only once in 100 years", a weather agency official told AFP, adding that this was the highest rate since full records began in 1904. The heavy rains were due to "warm and moist air flowing in along the edge of the North Pacific High, triggering strong atmospheric instability", the official added. South Korean broadcasters ran videos of severe flooding in Seosan, with water swamping markets and apartment complexes, as well as submerging parked cars. AFP reporters saw residents in Seosan struggling to clean up the aftermath of the floods on Thursday, with parking lots and shops still seen flooded with muddy water. Choi Hee-jin, a nightclub owner, told AFP it had been "heartbreaking" to return to her business after the floods had swept through. "Water had completely filled the club, and everything -- sofas, fridges, furniture, even computers -- was just floating around," Choi said. "How do you think it feels to see that? Honestly, it felt like the world was collapsing. There are no words to describe it." The national weather agency said in a statement that nearly 440 mm (about 17.3 inches) of rain had fallen in Seosan by 10:30 am on Thursday -- equivalent to 35 percent of the region's average annual rainfall. "The water is just too deep and so much mud has been pushed in that I've already been working for about five hours trying to drain it all out," said Kim Min-seo, a 50-year-old restaurant worker, as she scrubbed the muddy floor. "I'm still not done," she added. - Evacuation orders - Residents in Hongseong county, in South Chungcheong province, were ordered to "evacuate immediately to a safe location" early Thursday morning due to flooding from a nearby stream. Several schools and nurseries in the county were also closed. South Korea is regularly hit by flooding during the summer monsoon period, but is typically well-prepared and the death toll is usually relatively low. Scientists say climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and frequent. South Korea also endured record-breaking rains and flooding in 2022, which left at least 11 people dead. 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. hs/ceb/fox
France 24
6 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Three dead as South Korean region hit by most rain in 120 years
South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July, but three areas in the country's South Chungcheong province this week saw some of the heaviest hourly downpours on record, official weather data showed. Three people were killed Thursday, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said, all in South Chuncheong province. "As of 4pm local time at least three people have died today due to torrential rains," a Ministry of Interior and Safety official told AFP, adding that more than 1,000 people had been evacuated. Police told AFP that one person was found inside a submerged vehicle, an elderly man was swept away near a stream, and another elderly man had been found dead in a flooded basement apartment after his son reported him missing. The western Seosan area was hit by rainfall peaking at 114.9 millimetres (4.5 inches) per hour, "a level typically seen only once in 100 years", a weather agency official told AFP, adding that this was the highest rate since full records began in 1904. The heavy rains were due to "warm and moist air flowing in along the edge of the North Pacific High, triggering strong atmospheric instability", the official added. South Korean broadcasters ran videos of severe flooding in Seosan, with water swamping markets and apartment complexes, as well as submerging parked cars. AFP reporters saw residents in Seosan struggling to clean up the aftermath of the floods on Thursday, with parking lots and shops still seen flooded with muddy water. Choi Hee-jin, a nightclub owner, told AFP it had been "heartbreaking" to return to her business after the floods had swept through. "Water had completely filled the club, and everything -- sofas, fridges, furniture, even computers -- was just floating around," Choi said. "How do you think it feels to see that? Honestly, it felt like the world was collapsing. There are no words to describe it." The national weather agency said in a statement that nearly 440 mm (about 17.3 inches) of rain had fallen in Seosan by 10:30 am on Thursday -- equivalent to 35 percent of the region's average annual rainfall. "The water is just too deep and so much mud has been pushed in that I've already been working for about five hours trying to drain it all out," said Kim Min-seo, a 50-year-old restaurant worker, as she scrubbed the muddy floor. "I'm still not done," she added. - Evacuation orders - Residents in Hongseong county, in South Chungcheong province, were ordered to "evacuate immediately to a safe location" early Thursday morning due to flooding from a nearby stream. Several schools and nurseries in the county were also closed. South Korea is regularly hit by flooding during the summer monsoon period, but is typically well-prepared and the death toll is usually relatively low. Scientists say climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and frequent. South Korea also endured record-breaking rains and flooding in 2022, which left at least 11 people dead. 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.
