Heavy rain causes damage nationwide
A special vehicle of the Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corp. pumps out water from a section of the Dongu Expressway under the Jungnang Bridge in eastern Seoul, Tuesday, after heavy rainfall submerged many sections of the road. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Kim Bo-eun
Heavy rain has caused casualties and damage across the nation, prompting local governments to close down roads and take additional safety measures.
Disaster authorities said Tuesday that four people are missing, while 210 were evacuated across the country amid the torrential downpours that have hit the nation since last weekend.
Emergency workers are searching for four elderly people who were in a car which crashed into a river in a valley in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, early Tuesday morning. They suspect the people were swept away by the rapidly flowing waters as only the vehicle wreckage was found.
Local governments took safety measures as heavy rain advisories were issued, mostly in Seoul and northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government banned entry to the Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul, as the sidewalks were flooded. It also closed the Dongbu Expressway, one of the major expressways on the eastern side of the capital, as several sections of the road were submerged.
The city government also banned pedestrians and vehicles from using Jamsu Bridge over the Han River, which was also submerged.
Seoul has received more than 120 millimeters of rain since Monday, and is expected to receive up to 150 millimeters more by Wednesday.
According to the Korea Airports Corp., dozens of domestic flights were canceled, mainly those departing from or heading to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. An Air Busan passenger plane bound for Gimhae airport in Busan took off from Gimpo at around 7:40 a.m., but returned to Gimpo due to the bad weather conditions.
Some roads have been washed away, embankments have collapsed, and mudslides have inundated mountainous roads and houses in remote areas. Trees have been blown down landing on houses and cars or roads; and many residential areas have been flooded nationwide, prompting local authorities to close roads and evacuate residents.
Local governments in affected regions have provided 216 disaster relief packages for the 210 people who have been evacuated.
Greenhouses and farmland were flooded in Daejeon where nearly 300 millimeters of rain has fallen since Friday.
The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast 50-100 millimeters more rain in the central and western parts of the country through Wednesday, with some regions expected to receive more than 150 millimeters.
“Some regions may experience torrential rain of 20-30 millimeters per hour,” a weatherman said. “We advise people to take precautions against flooding.”
In the meantime, southern parts of the country and Jeju Island received little rainfall Tuesday. Jeongeup, Mokpo and Jeju had the season’s first tropical night, with the morning lows remaining over 25 degrees Celsius.