4 dead, 2 missing in flash floods
Emergency crews carry a resident of Woro-dong, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, to safety on July 16. / Yonhap
A bridge in Cheongju partly collapsed after the stream turned into a torrent on July 16. / Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
Heavy rain in Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces on the weekend has left four people dead, two missing and 500 displaced as of Monday morning.
Water swept away two people aged over 70 while they were crossing a bridge in a village in Goesan in North Chungcheong Province on Sunday.
Their bodies were found on Monday.
Two more people died when the minivan in which they were travelling south on Jungbu Highway slid down a two-meter pit near Jincheon on Sunday.
A farmer in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, and another farmer in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, are missing.
The water level at Goesan Dam rose close to its maximum 137 meters, causing more than 50 residents nearby to evacuate their homes and shelter at Chilseong Middle School and a local community center.
Seoknamcheon stream overflows on July 16. / Yonhap
An excavator balances on the collapsed side of Seoknamcheon stream in Cheongju on July 16. / Yonhap
The heaviest downpour fell on Cheogju in North Chungcheong Province, which had 302 millimeters over the weekend.
Streams in the city flooded at about 13 points, covering roads and streets and submerging buildings in low areas.
Almost 3,000 hectares of farmland were flooded or hit by landslides.
More than 37,000 chickens died in 14 poultry farms, while 30 other farms were also damaged.
About 16,000 ducklings that had been brought to a duck farm just three days ago, all died on Sunday.
The farm’s owner said he asked the local authority earlier that day to activate a water pump at a stream nearby so it would not flood the farm, but this was not done.
Five schools in Cheongju closed on Monday or sent students home.
At some city schools, r playgrounds, classrooms and cafeterias were flooded, while electricity to gyms and classrooms was cut off.
Unho Middle School said it would begin its summer vacation two days earlier on Tuesday.
In Jincheon, rain damaged 26 schools and three related facilities.
Nationwide, heavy rain since July 14 has flooded 690 residential buildings, 16 factories/commercial buildings, 14 schools, 52 vehicles and almost 5,000 hectares of land, according to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security on Monday.