20 Dead or Missing Due to Heavy Rain... 882 Evacuated Across 13 Cities and Provinces Nationwide

Landslide Collapses Due to Heavy Rain, Covering Houses and Vehicles
22 Houses Flooded and Power Outages Reported
92 Roads Currently Closed

As heavy rain continues nationwide for the third consecutive day, human casualties are rapidly occurring mainly in the central regions such as Chungcheong and Gyeongbuk.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to rescue authorities, as of the morning of the day, the number of deaths due to heavy rain was estimated to be 2 in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk. Human casualties are expected to increase further, with five people found in cardiac arrest after being buried in landslides in Wonju, Gangwon; Yeongju, Gyeongbuk; and Cheongyang, Chungnam, and Sejong.

It is estimated that 10 people are missing in Mungyeong and Yecheon, Gyeongbuk. In Chungju, Chungbuk, about 6,400 residents were urgently evacuated due to rapidly rising waters.

In Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk, around 9 a.m., a mountainside collapsed in Seodong-ri, Chunyang-myeon, burying a house in soil and mud, and it is presumed that two people, including a woman in her 60s, were buried and died.

Earlier, at around 4:53 a.m., soil and debris from a slope on a hill in Songyong-ri, Yeondong-myeon, Sejong-si, Chungnam, buried a nearby house, and a resident in their 70s was buried. Fire authorities who responded to a family report found Mr. A (74) at around 5:51 a.m., but he was in cardiac arrest. It was confirmed that Mr. A went outside the front door to check the pile of soil that had poured right in front of his house and was buried by soil that flowed down again from the slope.

The Chungnam Fire Headquarters announced that at 7 a.m., they rescued a housewife in her 60s buried in soil at a house in Jeongsan-myeon, Cheongyang-gun, Chungnam, but she was already in cardiac arrest.

In Yeongju-si, at 7:27 a.m., a landslide occurred in Punggi-eup, Yeongju-si, burying two people who were found in cardiac arrest.

At around 5:28 a.m., a landslide occurred on a hill near a road in Seokpan-ri, Namimyeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk, and soil poured onto a passenger car passing nearby, resulting in one person inside the car being transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest.

Gyeongbuk Province estimates that one person is missing in Mungyeong and nine people are missing in Yecheon due to lack of contact.

In Chungbuk, as the Goesan Dam overflowed, about 6,400 residents in six eup, myeon, and dong of Chungju-si were urgently evacuated. At 5 a.m., Chungju-si issued an evacuation order for areas around Dalcheon River, including Bongbang-dong, Chilgeum-dong, Dalcheon-dong, Salmi-myeon, Jungangtap-myeon, and Daesowon-myeon, where flooding was feared.

Most residents have evacuated to school auditoriums and village halls. Dalcheon River's water level rose as the discharge from Goesan Dam increased, flooding low-lying areas along the river.

The two-way road in Sujupalbong Village, Munju-ri, Daesowon-myeon, adjacent to Dalcheon River, was flooded, and Danwolgyo Bridge in Danwol-dong was closed due to flood concerns.

Residents of Hoeryong Village, Eochi-ri, Donggye-myeon, Sunchang-gun, Jeonbuk, have been unable to go outside since the previous day.

Since June 12, the Seomjingang Dam began discharging water, and at around 11:30 p.m. the previous day, the discharge was increased by an additional 1,500 tons per second, completely swallowing the road connecting the village.

In Wanju-gun, where 342 mm of rain fell over three days, roads near rivers have rapidly flooded, isolating residents.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as of 6 a.m. on the 15th, 882 people from 557 households in 55 cities, counties, and districts across 13 provinces temporarily evacuated their homes.

This is an increase of 555 people from 366 households in 11 cities, counties, and districts compared to 11 p.m. the previous day. Among them, 772 people from 493 households have not yet returned home.

By region, the numbers are: Seoul 98 people in 47 households, Busan 20 people in 13 households, Incheon 4 people in 3 households, Gwangju 4 people in 4 households, Daejeon 25 people in 11 households, Gyeonggi 78 people in 39 households, Chungbuk 37 people in 25 households, Chungnam 317 people in 216 households, Jeonbuk 87 people in 76 households, Jeonnam 9 people in 7 households, Gyeongbuk 196 people in 110 households, Gyeongnam 2 people in 2 households, Gangwon 5 people in 4 households.

The continuous heavy rain also blocked railway lines. Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) announced that as of 9 a.m., all general trains including Mugunghwa and ITX-Saemaeul have suspended operations.

High-speed trains (KTX-Eum) operating on the Jungang Line and Jungbu Inland Line have also suspended operations. KTX trains on the Gyeongbu High-Speed Line, Gangneung Line, Jeolla Line, and Honam Line are operating but delays are expected due to slow running caused by heavy rain.

Metropolitan and Donghae Line commuter trains operated by KORAIL are running normally on all sections.

A KORAIL official said, "Tickets for trains whose operations have been suspended will be automatically refunded without penalty," and added, "For detailed information on ticket refunds, please refer to the website."

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy rain warnings are currently in effect for southern Gyeonggi, Chungcheong area, southern inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon, northern Jeonbuk, inland Gyeongbuk, and northwestern inland Gyeongnam.

Particularly, special caution is required as damage is expected to be concentrated in southern Chungcheong and Jeonbuk regions.

Due to continuous monsoon rains, more than 20 casualties including deaths and missing persons are expected from this heavy rain, including two deaths buried in soil at the Nonsan City Public Columbarium in Chungnam the previous day.

Expected rainfall until the 16th is 100 to 200 mm (with some areas exceeding 300 mm) in Chungcheong, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam (excluding the southern coast), and northern inland Gyeongbuk; 30 to 80 mm in southern Gyeonggi, southern coast of Jeonnam, Gyeongsang region (excluding northern inland Gyeongbuk), Ulleungdo and Dokdo; 5 to 60 mm in Jeju Island; and 10 to 60 mm (with some areas exceeding 80 mm) in northern inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon, the east coast of Gangwon, and southern and mountainous areas of Jeju Island.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.