Flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains have killed at least 32 people nationwide and left more than 10 people missing while thousands evacuated their homes due to rain damage, authorities said Sunday.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said 26 people have been reported killed in the aftermath of the heavy rains that have pounded the country since last week, while 10 others remained missing as of 6 a.m.
Rescuers have additionally recovered six bodies from a bus trapped in a flooded underground tunnel in the central town of Osong.
The 685-meter-long underground roadway was flooded in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, the previous day when a nearby river overflowed after an embankment was brought down by rising water levels due to heavy rain.
As of Sunday morning, the death toll from the underpass flooding stood at seven and is expected to rise further as a rescue operation continues for 15 vehicles and several people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel.
Most fatalities were reported in the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang, where 17 people died largely due to landslides and housing collapses, and nine others remained missing.
One more person remained missing in Busan, the office said. Thirteen people have also been injured nationwide as a result of the recent downpours.
As of 6 a.m., 7,540 people from 13 cities and provinces had evacuated their homes, including 2,301 in North Chungcheong Province, and of them, 5,933 have not returned home yet due to safety concerns, authorities also said.
A total of 226 public and private property damage cases have been reported, including 25 cases of destroyed or swept-away public roads, 25 cases of collapsed river embankments and 33 flooded homes.
Heavy rains have also left 211 roads closed, and of them, 10 public ones remained out of service as of 6 a.m.
All train operations have been suspended, although KTX bullet trains on some sections resumed operations.
Downpours have also left 20 national parks across the country closed. A total of 12 flights also were canceled Sunday.
As of 5 a.m., heavy rain warnings were in place in southern inland areas of Gangwon Province, the Chungcheong provinces, southern regions and Jeju Island. Coastal regions of South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces have been forecast to experience heavy rains of up to 30 millimeters per hour.
The weather agency said the central Chungcheong provinces and the southern Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces may experience up to 300 mm of additional rain through Tuesday.
Landslide warnings across the nation, except on Jeju Island, have also been escalated to the highest level of “grave.”
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed prompt government efforts to rescue those who remain missing.
“The government will speedily step up operations to search and rescue those missing,” Han said at a government response meeting, instructing officials to make the utmost efforts to ensure the safety of the people.
During the meeting, the defense ministry reported that 472 military personnel and 69 pieces of government equipment have been deployed to help with the disaster response operations.
Source: Yonhap News Agency