When Choi Seung-il, 54, and his employees at a local auto repair shop in Gwangju spotted an elderly man trapped in a powerful current on a flooded street, they didn't hesitate to wade into the torrent to rescue him.
According to local media reports and video footage of the scene, the group battled the rushing water for 20 minutes before managing to pull the man out of a manhole where he had become stuck. He was transported to a hospital and is now reported to be in stable condition.
Five days of relentless rain have caused flash floods, landslides and widespread damage to infrastructure across South Korea.
As of 6 a.m. Sunday, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported that 10 people had died and nine remained missing. Fatalities were confirmed in Osan in Gyeonggi Province; Seosan and Dangjin in South Chungcheong Province; and Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province. Missing persons were reported in Gwangju and in Sancheong.
ssh@heraldcorp.com
