49 dead or missing in downpour in South Korea after more bodies recovered from tunnel

The Osong underground roadway in the central city of Cheongju was flooded Saturday when a nearby river overflowed after an embankment was brought down by rising water levels due to heavy rain, leaving 15 vehicles, including a bus, trapped underwater.

Four more bodies were recovered overnight, bringing the death toll to 13.

Nationwide, 40 people, including 19 in the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang, had been reported to have been killed in the aftermath of the heavy rains that have pounded the country since last week as of 6 a.m., according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

As of 6 a.m., nine people remain missing, including eight in North Gyeongsang Province, while 34 people have been reportedly injured.

Casualties could rise as rescuers continue an operation to drain and search the flooded underpass, where more than 10 vehicles are believed to be submerged.

Across the country, 10,570 people evacuated their homes due to rain damage, according to the office.

Downpours have also damaged 628 public facilities and 317 other private properties, including 146 roads that collapsed or were swept away and 139 flooded homes.

A total of 28,607 households across the nation had been left without electricity as a result of the heavy rains, and power was back in service at most of those households as of Monday.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, more than 500 millimetres of rain have pounded central and lower regions since July 9, including 626 mm in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, 614 mm in the nearby county of Cheongyang, 580 mm in the central city of Sejong and 522 mm in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province.

Heavy rain warnings were in place for the Chungcheong provinces, southern regions and Jeju Island as of Monday morning, and the weather agency said the Jeolla provinces and nearby areas may experience further rain of up to 40 mm per hour.

Through Tuesday, up to 200 mm of rain has been forecast for Chungcheong and southern regions, and between 10 mm to 100 mm for the rest of the country. 

Yoon orders all-out efforts to deal with aftermath of downpours, including disaster zone designation

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday ordered the mobilization of all available resources and policy measures, including designating special disaster zones, to deal with the aftermath of heavy downpours that have left at least 40 people dead and nine others missing.

Yoon made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, just hours after returning home from a weeklong trip to Europe that included visits to Lithuania and Poland and an unannounced stop in Ukraine.

The Korea Herald

Asia News Network