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| Firefighters search debris during rescue efforts at the resort area in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
The New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea is mourning the deaths of Anna Song, 36, its former official, and two other members of her family ― all Kiwi citizens ― after a mudslide triggered by heavy rain engulfed their vacation cottage near Seoul.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Song, a former director and treasurer of the chamber, was found dead Monday ― along with her mother, 77, and her two-year-old son ― after landslides destroyed their pension in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
"The suddenness and untimeliness of this tragedy is beyond words," chamber chairman Tony Garrett said in a statement Wednesday. "Anna, you were always positive and at the forefront of many of the activities the chamber was involved in and you were so passionate about your work promoting the Korea NZ Tech relationship, for which your tenaciousness was admired by many.
"Beyond what Anna did with the chamber, she was an incredibly committed mother and daughter."
Garrett said Song was a long-standing friend and supporter of the organization and the Kiwi Alumni. According to New Zealand media, Song met former NZ Prime Minister John Key during his visit to Korea in 2015 to sign a free trade agreement, as part of her work with the New Zealand Alumni Association Korea.
"We are richer for knowing you and poorer for your passing," Garrett said. "My deepest condolences to your family and friends."
The three were among 16 people who have died in landslides and floods caused by nearly a week of torrential rain that began Saturday. The rain that pounded much of the country also left 14 people missing and more than 1,600 homeless, according to the ministry.
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