'Hidden heroes' save lives of many amid deadly typhoon Chaba

Four marine police are in the process of rescuing six sailors from the raging sea in the midst of the storm driven by typhoon Chaba, on Wednesday. A giant wave struck and swept them into the sea when the police were evacuating the sailors from a stranded boat that was drifting in the storm. / Yonhap

By Hong Dam-young

In times of crisis, there are always “hidden heroes” who sacrifice themselves to save others.

Over the past few days, southern Korea has been battered by typhoon Chaba’s torrential rain and powerful winds -- the strongest since typhoon Maemi in 2003 -- that devastated major cities including Busan and Ulsan. The typhoon killed at least five people and five are missing as of Thursday morning.

In the midst of the havoc, a group of maritime police managed to save sailors from the raging sea.

Around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, four maritime police were on the seawall of Odong Island in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, to evacuate six sailors from a stranded boat that was drifting in the storm. The wind was blowing at 34 meters a second when a three-meter wave struck and all were swept into the sea.

In the middle of the chaos, the police worked on rescuing the sailors. One by one, all the sailors were able to climb the seawall with police help.

“I almost fainted when the wave struck me, and felt acute pain in my ankle,” said one of the police, surnamed Park, who was the last to step ashore after making sure every sailor was saved.

“I saw my colleagues struggling in the water right next to me. But saving the sailors was the first thing that popped up in my mind.”

Park broke his ankle when swept off the seawall. He is in hospital with two other police who sustained injuries to an ankle and neck during the rescue.

On the same day in Ulsan -- one of the worst-affected areas -- a 119 rescuer, surnamed Kang, 30, from Onsan fire station, was swept away while rescuing flood-stranded residents.

Around 12:10 p.m., three crews from the fire station, including Kang, went to save the residents of a village flooded by a nearby river. As they tried to rescue the residents from the tops of their houses, a powerful current swept Kang and the other rescuers away. The other two survived by holding on to telegraph poles.

All the residents were saved.

Kang’s body was found on Thursday near a temple about seven kilometers from where he went missing.

“Kang was a brave officer who always tried to rescue others first, even at life-risking moments,” a fire station official said.