Heavy rains that hit the southern parts of the country overnight flooded houses and farmland, and disrupted the power supply and train services, leaving two dead and forcing 120 people to evacuate, authorities said Tuesday.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said the downpour swept away a woman, in her 60s, in the southwestern county of Haenam early in the morning. The authorities said she was found dead from drowning.
In the nearby counties of Gangjin and Jindo, 47 people temporarily sought shelter in community centers and gymnasiums. In the region, eight houses and 35 shops were under water and mud, and more than 7,500 hectares of farmland were submerged.
In Gwangyang, also in South Jeolla Province, a landslide washed away two houses and destroyed another two, killing a resident in her 80s.
Rescuers found her covered in mud and rubble at her home at around 2:55 p.m. She was discovered unconscious and pronounced dead in a hospital. The city had initially presumed that she was trapped inside and alive because her phone line was busy. But it turned out that her phone was not with her.
The city had recorded 229.5 millimeters of rain as of 10 a.m., and the heavy downpour impeded swift rescue efforts.
Heavy rains destroyed roads in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, and knocked down trees in Daegu and some parts of North Chungcheong Province, disrupting traffic.
A total of 12 roads were closed for public safety in South Jeolla Province, Busan and Gwangju, as torrential rains could potentially trigger landslides and flooding.
The downpour disrupted all train services that use the Suncheon and Gwangju-Songjeong route, but trains partly resumed operations in the afternoon, including those that run between Iksan and Yongsan and Suncheon and Bujeon, Korea Railroad Corp. (Korail) said.
Korail said workers removed mud and other debris from some parts of the Gyeongjeon Line that serves South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla Provinces, but the train service on the line will be suspended out of safety concerns until further notice.
Forty ferries on 24 routes, including the one running between Yeosu and Geomun, as well as 11 flights departing from Gimpo, Ulsan and Yeosu were grounded.
In the region, 287 trekking courses in 10 national parks were closed out of safety concerns.
In Busan, 128 houses lost power temporarily but regained it.
The headquarters raised its internal alert level by one notch at 4 a.m. Tuesday, as some of the southwestern parts had received more than 300 mm of rainfall and were expected to be hit with more rain.
The weather agency forecast more rain to continue in the region and the southern resort island of Jeju on Tuesday, with some areas expected to receive around 50 mm to more than 200 mm per hour. It urged caution and asked people to stay away from dangerous areas prone to landslides and flooding. (Yonhap)
