Nine dead bodies were found by rescuers while trying to reach automobiles, trapped in a flooded tunnel close to the South Korean city of Cheongju. Passengers and drivers were stranded in their vehicles as flood water from heavy rains flowed into the subway.
Overall fatalities from flooding, landslides and power outages, which affected a large portion of the country, now stand at 35. Furthermore, more than ten individuals are reported as missing.
Although the exact number of people still trapped inside the 685-meter-long tunnel in Osong, South Korea is unknown, 15 vehicles are believed to be buried underwater. The bodies of several of the deceased were found inside a bus. Meanwhile, nine survivors were saved yesterday ().
Massive floods after heavy rains in South Korea 🇰🇷
— Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) July 15, 2023
Atleast 22 people died and 14 missing. pic.twitter.com/YvgUMZCIBk
The majority of the other casualties have occurred in the mountainous North Gyeongsang area where entire homes have been destroyed by landslides. South Korea reportedly received around 300mm (11.8in) of rain on 15 July.
According to the Korean Meteorological Association, the nation normally receives 1,000mm (39.4in) to 1,800mm (70.9in) of rainfall a year, but a large portion of that arrives during the summer. Only the tops of roofs can be seen protruding out of deep brown mud in aerial photographs taken in flood-affected areas.
Numerous local governments have issued evacuation orders that have impacted thousands of people. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has urged the military to assist with the rescue operations. The Goesan Dam, also in North Chungcheong, started to overflow early on Saturday morning local time, forcing 6,400 residents to flee, per the agency.
Several low-lying hamlets close to the dam were drowned, along with many of the roads that connected them, trapping people inside their residences. A train derailed in North Chungcheong late on 14 July as a result of a landslide. It was not hauling passengers at the time, but one of the engineers received injuries.
Floods and landslides submerged roads and homes across South Korea, killing at least 26 people and leaving 10 others missing as of late Saturday, officials said. https://t.co/ZLK3teicqz pic.twitter.com/j1QLYoFdWx
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 15, 2023
All slow trains and some bullet trains have been suspended while other bullet services are expected to experience disruptions, as stated by Korail, South Korea’s national rail operator. The Korea Meteorological Administration anticipated further precipitation through the following Wednesday. It forewarned that the weather poses a “grave” peril.
Over the past two weeks, excessive rain has triggered floods and landslides in a number of nations, including India, China and Japan. Flooding is caused by a variety of variables, but experts agree that the likelihood of heavy rainfall is increased by a warming environment brought on by climate change.
More droplets and greater precipitation, sometimes in a shorter period of time and over a smaller region, result from the atmosphere’s ability to hold more moisture as the climate warms.
