South Korea hit by heavy rains and floods: 17 people dead, 11 missing
Фото: REUTERS
South Korea has been hit by a massive natural disaster – heavy rains and landslides, which have been ongoing for four days, have killed 17 people. Another 11 are missing. The southern province of Sancheon has been hit the hardest. Almost 13,500 people have been forced to evacuate to temporary shelters.
This is reported by Yonhap .
It is noted that as of 6:00 p.m. on July 20, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Fire Service of South Korea, the number of victims of the disaster reached 17 people, and another 11 were missing.
The southern province of Sancheon suffered the most casualties, with 10 dead and 4 missing. Other affected regions included Osan, Gapyeong (Gyeonggi Province), Seosan and Danjin (South Chungcheong Province), and the city of Gwangju.
Rescue operations are ongoing, and firefighters say the death toll could rise.
Sancheon was the epicenter of the storm, with 793.5 mm of rainfall recorded since Wednesday. Neighboring districts of Hapcheon and Hadong received 699 mm and 621.5 mm, respectively. Gapyeong, a city 55 km from Seoul, received nearly 200 mm of rainfall on Sunday alone.
National services registered more than 1,999 cases of road flooding, landslides and destruction of infrastructure, as well as more than 2,200 incidents with private property: damaged buildings, farmland and farms.
A total of 13,492 people were evacuated to shelters in 15 major cities and provinces. 62 flights were canceled due to the disaster.
Despite further rainfall expected in the Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheongnam-do and North Gyeongsang regions, the government lifted the highest level of emergency alert as of Sunday evening.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon has instructed to urgently consider granting the most affected areas the status of special disaster zones, which will allow for increased state assistance to eliminate the consequences and support the victims.
As a reminder, the powerful Typhoon Wifa hit Hong Kong on July 20 , causing widespread destruction, transport collapse and casualties. Within hours, the storm left hundreds of fallen trees, destroyed buildings and cancelled flights, and the storm warning level reached the maximum — 10 points.
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