1 killed in heavy rain in Gimpo; dozens evacuated

People cross the street as heavy rain pours down across Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

One person was found dead amid heavy rain in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, while more than 20 others were temporarily evacuated, authorities said Wednesday.

The torrential rain began earlier in the day in parts of the central region, triggering heavy rain alerts in Seoul and Incheon, and Gyeonggi, Gangwon and South Chungcheong provinces.

As of 6 p.m., 20 to 40 millimeters of rain per hour had been falling on the capital region and northern Gangwon Province, according to the interior ministry.

The heavy rain is forecast to continue through Thursday, and the government's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said the affected areas are expected to receive up to 200 millimeters of rain or more overnight, in addition to the 100 millimeters per hour they have already received.

The central disaster headquarters has raised its emergency response posture to Level 2.

Gimpo firefighting authorities said the man found dead was seated in the back seat of a car in a river in the city. He is presumed to be in his 80s.

In Incheon and Gyeonggi, 26 people were temporarily evacuated from their homes and remained at temporary shelters with the exception of one person who returned home.

Firefighters are seen conducting a rescue operation on a vehicle submerged in the swollen waters in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, in this photo provided by Gimpo Fire Station. Yonhap

Earlier, evacuation orders were issued for areas near rivers at risk of flooding in Seoul and parts of Gyeonggi Province, while torrential rain in northern Gyeonggi left residents stranded and forced the closure of roads and railways.

More than 100 millimeters of torrential rain pounded the Seoul metropolitan area, with 149.2 millimeters pouring on Incheon's Ongjin County in just an hour, in the heaviest downpour recorded this summer, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

Torrential rain of 30 to 50 millimeters is expected through Thursday morning in the central region, the KMA said.

Until Thursday, heavy downpours of 50 to 150 millimeters are expected in the capital region, and up to 200 millimeters for Incheon and northern Gyeonggi.

Some parts of Gangwon Province were forecast to receive up to 150 millimeters of rain, while parts of the central provinces of Chungcheong were expected to see up to 100 millimeters.