Heavy rainfall kills five across Korea

A road is flooded in Busan, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, Thursday, in this photo provided by the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, as heavy rain pounded most parts of the country. Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds nationwide left five people dead and four injured, according to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, Friday. Among them, three were found dead in their cars, submerged in floodwater in Busan, one was in Ulsan and the other was in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province.

As of 12 p.m., Friday, 217 people had been evacuated from their homes and 51 rescued, as 289 cases of flooded houses were reported. By region, 162 houses were flooded in Busan, the highest in the country, followed by 70 in North Gyeongsang Province, 27 in Incheon, 21 in Ulsan and nine in Gyeonggi Province.

Busan, the country's second-biggest city, saw 81 millimeters of rain per hour, the 10th highest hourly precipitation since 1920, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The rain flooded an underground roadway in Busan Thursday night, taking the lives of the three in their cars. Six people were rescued by the fire authorities.

A heavy rain advisory was also issued in Ulsan, home of Hyundai Motor's main domestic plants. Downpours of 215.5 mm pummeled the city, triggering mudslides and flash floods that swallowed sidewalks and pedestrian pathways along Yeo Stream in the southern part of the city.

Some parts of intercity highways in Seoul were closed due to rising waters while other damage was minor. In Seodaemun District, fences at a residential area collapsed; while 1,100 households in Gwangju, Paju, and Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province, lost power at one time during Thursday night, but most of them have seen it restored.

Heavy rain advisories are still in effect in parts of the country, including the provinces of Gangwon and North Gyeongsang, where more rainfall of up to 50 mm is forecast. But showers had stopped in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.

The KMA forecast more heavy rain until Saturday.

“Until Saturday, heavy rain of more than 30 millimeters per hour accompanied by strong winds, thunder and lightning is expected on the east coast of Gangwon, Yeongdong and the northern part of North Gyeongsang Province,” the KMA said.