At least 14 people have lost their lives in South Korea due to devastating floods and landslides caused by recent relentless rainfall, according to the nation’s disaster management office. With ongoing rescue efforts, officials are on high alert as 12 individuals are reported missing. In Gapyeong province, footage captured residents navigating through thick mud in the aftermath of a landslide as they made their way to evacuation shelters across damaged infrastructure.
In the central Chungcheon region, an entire village has been buried under debris following a significant landslide. Since the heavy rain began last Wednesday, nearly 10,000 individuals have had to abandon their homes, with over 41,000 households facing power outages as reported by local outlets. Although the torrential rains have eased in the severely affected southern and central regions, forecasts indicate that further precipitation is anticipated in the capital Seoul and northern territories on Sunday.
Extensive damage has been recorded, with thousands of roads, buildings, and agricultural lands inundated, causing losses in both crops and livestock. The southern areas have borne the brunt of this calamity, with casualties reported in Sancheong county and additional fatalities in northern mountainous regions near Seoul. In Gapyeong, two lives were claimed in a landslide incident where properties were overwhelmed. So far, 63 individuals have been rescued, and 285 others have evacuated the impacted area, according to the Gyeonggi Province Fire Department.
Serious landslide warnings have been issued, prompting national authorities to coordinate a multi-agency recovery operation as the country grapples with the aftermath of this extreme weather event.
