Trails around streams under Seongsan Bridge in Seoul's western Mapo district remain partially submerged on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
Heavy downpours pelted the broader Seoul area and adjacent regions on Thursday, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of residents due to safety concerns and the cancellation of dozens of flights.
Northern areas of Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul were among the hardest hit, including Paju near the inter-Korean border, which received hourly precipitation of 75.1 millimeters at one point early Thursday morning.
The accumulated rain in the Paju areas from midnight to 6 a.m. reached as much as 143.5 mm, leading to the suspension of subway Line 1 services in the areas through the morning rush hour.
Paju received 593.5 mm of rain from Tuesday to early Thursday morning, while the nearby border county of Yeoncheon reported accumulated rain of 448.5 mm during the period
The capital region has experienced hourly precipitation between 30 mm and 60 mm, prompting flood alerts for 10 streams in the broader Seoul area.
As of 5 a.m., the government said that a total of 887 residents from eight cities and provinces across the nation had been evacuated in the aftermath of the latest downpours.
Authorities also issued immediate evacuation orders to some residents of Osan, Gyeonggi Province, and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, due to swollen streams in the areas.
In Seoul, both directions of the Dongbu Expressway linking the city to Gyeonggi were entirely suspended due to heavy rain, while sections of the Naebu Expressway forming an outer ring around the city were also closed.
The entrances to 29 streams and four riverside parking lots in central Seoul were also blocked due to safety concerns.
Downpours also led to the cancellation of 25 international flights departing from Incheon International Airport from midnight through 8 a.m., while four others were forced to return after takeoff.
In the capital, the northern district of Nowon received the most rain, with an accumulation of 197 mm recorded from Tuesday to early Thursday morning.
The northeastern district of Seongbuk was hit with an hourly precipitation of 84 mm at one point the previous day.
No casualties have been reported from the latest bout of torrential rain, but several cases of rain damage were reported across the capital, including fallen trees along streets, flooded homes and traffic accidents caused by slippery roads.
The Korea Forest Service also raised its landslide alerts to the highest level of "serious" for Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi and Gangwon as of 7:30 a.m., advising people to evacuate promptly to safety in case of emergency.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min ordered the mobilization of all possible personnel and resources to minimize rain damage as the ministry raised its readiness posture from "caution" to "vigilance." (Yonhap)
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