"Gayang Bridge Submerged, Sculptures Swept Away"... Monster Downpour Damage Shared on SNS

Rain clouds bringing more than 100 mm of rain per hour swept sequentially from the West Sea through the northern metropolitan area on August 13, resulting in a series of damages in Incheon, northern Gyeonggi Province, and Gangwon Province. Numerous photos and videos sharing the damage, along with messages such as "It's safest to stay home" and "Everyone, be careful of the rain damage," were posted on online communities and social networking services (SNS).

On the 13th, heavy rain fell in the metropolitan area, and water has accumulated on the Gayang Bridge ramp in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

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On that day, a netizen posted a video taken while driving across the Gayang Bridge. The entire bridge was flooded, with water levels so high that they threatened the body of the vehicle. Netizens who saw the video reacted with surprise, saying, "This is the first time I've seen the Gayang Bridge flooded," and "Can a bridge located higher than the Han River really be submerged?" In fact, on this day, the section of Olympic-daero from the southern end of World Cup Bridge to the southern end of Gayang Bridge, heading toward Gimpo, was submerged and vehicle traffic was restricted.

On that day, a netizen posted a video taken while driving across the Gayang Bridge. The entire Gayang Bridge was flooded with water, which was so high that it threatened the vehicle's body. Online community

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Gimpo International Airport, located in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, also suffered from flooding. Images showed the area in front of the international terminal gate filled with rainwater, and rainwater entering inside through the airport's glass doors.

A sculpture installed on the Uicheon Stream walking trail in Gangbuk-gu drifting away. Online community

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Another netizen posted a video showing a sculpture on the Uicheon Stream walking trail in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, being swept away by the heavy rain. The video captured the sculpture gradually becoming submerged and eventually drifting away with the rising floodwaters.

There were also casualties. At around 7:00 a.m. on August 13 in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, a car skidded on a rain-soaked road in Yeongbuk-myeon and crashed into a traffic light, resulting in the death of a woman in her 70s who was in the passenger seat and injuries to the driver. At around 7:20 a.m. in Unseo-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon, a vehicle skidded on a wet road and plunged into a lake, causing the death of a male driver in his 40s.

On the 13th, when heavy rain poured over the Seoul metropolitan area, vehicles were driving on flooded roads in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

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At 12:14 p.m. in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, a car was swept away in Daebocheon, Gochon-eup, and a man in his 30s who was in the back seat was found dead. Temporary evacuations were carried out for 202 people from 124 households in Seoul, 224 people from 169 households in Incheon, and 286 people from 199 households in Gyeonggi Province. There were also 74 reports of damage to public and private facilities, including 66 cases of road flooding, one case of slope collapse, one case of station flooding, one case of fallen trees, and five cases of house flooding.

On August 14, the central region is also expected to remain mostly cloudy with very heavy rain. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that the metropolitan area would receive 30 to 70 mm of rainfall per hour until the morning. During the morning, very heavy rain of around 30 mm per hour is expected in the metropolitan area, inland Gangwon, northern mountainous Gangwon, and northern Chungnam. From the afternoon, some areas may see the rain subside. The expected rainfall amounts are 50-150 mm for the metropolitan area, 30-80 mm for inland and mountainous Gangwon, 20-60 mm for northern Chungnam and central/northern Chungbuk, 10-40 mm for the northern East Sea coast of Gangwon, and 5-40 mm for Daejeon, Sejong, Chungnam, and southern Chungbuk, and 5-20 mm for the central and southern East Sea coast of Gangwon.

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