Latest news with #torrential rain
Arab News
2 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
Torrential rain leaves at least 18 dead in South Korea, trail of devastation
REUTERS: Severe wet weather in South Korea eased on Monday following days of torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides and left at least 18 people dead, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Monday. 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fourteen people die in South Korea after torrential rain causes landslides and flooding
Five days of torrential rain in South Korea has left at least 14 people dead and 12 more missing. A landside engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles in the resort town of Gapyeong, northeast of capital Seoul, on Sunday. One person was killed after their house collapsed and another was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream, while six people remain missing in the town and the southern city of Gwangju. The Interior and Safety Ministry said eight people were killed and six others reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong on Saturday after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods. Earlier in the 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. Southern regions have been hit by up to about 600-800mm (24-31 inches) of rain since the downpours began n Wednesday. About 3,840 people remained evacuated from their homes by Sunday morning. The heavy rainfall moved north overnight and alerts have been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Climate
- Sky News
Fourteen people die in South Korea after torrential rain causes landslides and flooding
Five days of torrential rain in South Korea has left at least 14 people dead and 12 more missing. A landside engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles in the resort town of Gapyeong, northeast of capital Seoul, on Sunday. One person was killed after their house collapsed and another was found dead after being swept away by a swollen stream, while six people remain missing in the town and the southern city of Gwangju. The Interior and Safety Ministry said eight people were killed and six others reported missing in the southern town of Sancheong on Saturday after heavy downpours caused landslides, house collapses and flash floods. Earlier in the 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. Southern regions have been hit by up to about 600-800mm (24-31 inches) of rain since the downpours began n Wednesday. The heavy rainfall moved north overnight and alerts have been lifted throughout the country, ministry officials said.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Climate
- Arab News
One dead, three missing after South Korea landslide
SEOUL: A landslide triggered by torrential rain killed at least one person in South Korea, the national fire agency said people were also missing after the landslide buried two houses in a village in southern Sancheong county, officials said, as heavy rain continued to pound the country.'At least three people have been reported missing and we have recovered one body,' an official at Sancheong county fire station official said that one person in their twenties, and a couple in their seventies were reported county told all residents Saturday to 'evacuate immediately to a safe area.'The county has a population of some 34,000 Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July, but the country's southern regions saw some of the heaviest hourly downpours on record this week, official weather data Ministry of Interior and Safety said Saturday at least four people have been killed in rain-related accidents and more than 7,000 forced to evacuate their Korea is regularly hit by flooding during the summer monsoon period, but is typically well-prepared and the death toll usually relatively say climate change has made weather events around the world more extreme and country endured record-breaking rains and flooding in 2022 which killed at least 11 people.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
UK bracing for torrential rain, thunderstorms, and flooding in parts
A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued across large parts of the UK, including London, the Midlands, and the North East and West of England, from Friday evening until Saturday. The Met Office predicts torrential rain, with potential for 20-30mm in less than an hour and up to 90mm in three hours in some areas, which could cause travel disruption and flooding. This follows a period of high temperatures, with London forecast to reach 30C on Friday, and the incoming heat is described as more humid. Several water companies, including Southern Water, South East Water, and Thames Water, are implementing hosepipe bans across various regions of England. These restrictions are in response to exceptionally dry weather, with England experiencing its driest start to the year since 1976, and drought status declared in the East and West Midlands.
