Record rain kills 8 people in Seoul

Last updated on August 10th, 2022 at 04:10 am

The authorities announced on Tuesday, August 9, that at least eight people had died overnight in and around Seoul, the capital of South Korea, as a result of the torrential rain that had knocked out power, triggered landslides, and left roads and subways waterlogged.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the southern half of Seoul received more than 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain per hour on late Monday, and certain parts of the city experienced 141.5 millimeters of rain, which is the worst rainfall in decades (KMA).

As of two o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, the total amount of rain that had fallen in Seoul since midnight on Monday stood at 451 millimeters, and further precipitation was expected.

People were left stranded when automobiles, buses, and subway stations were flooded in the posh and congested Gangnam district, where some buildings and stores were flooded and lost power. Additionally, some residents were unable to reach their homes because they were unable to access public transportation.

An office worker named Lim Na-kyung, who is 31 years old, related the terrifying events of Monday evening, stating that the circumstance made her think of a scene from the movie “Titanic,” which was released in 1997.

Because of the rapid rate at which the structure was sinking into the water, I had no choice but to keep climbing higher and higher. The woman who was a mother of two children and had to spend the night in a Pilates center on the fourth story said that she “couldn’t believe that I was locked in building with 40 other people in the middle of Gangnam area.”

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters reported that as of early Tuesday morning, at least five people had perished in Seoul, and another three people had died in the nearby province of Gyeonggi. According to the report, two people perished in a landslide while four others perished as a result of drowning in flooded buildings, a person who is suspected to have been electrocuted, and another person who was found buried beneath the debris of a bus stop.

At least nine people were hurt, while seven more are still missing after the incident.

According to the data, at least 765 buildings and infrastructure were damaged, and around 52 highways and roads were closed. According to the data, there were around 399 people who were temporarily evacuated to community centers and schools in addition to the 391 people who were victims in the greater Seoul area. The majority of the victims were required to stay at local schools and gyms.

The emergency warning was upgraded to its maximum level, and the headquarters recommended that all organizations change their normal work schedules.

The Korean Meteorological Administration has issued heavy rain warnings for the whole nation’s capital, the metropolitan area with a population of 26 million, and sections of the provinces of Gangwon and Chungcheong.

According to the disaster headquarters, President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency response meeting and gave the order for authorities to concentrate on minimizing the number of victims and promptly regaining control of and restoring flooded areas.

The Kentucky Meteorological Association (KMA) forecasts that the heavy rain that has been falling in the middle of the country will continue at least through Wednesday.

A KMA official, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, stated that “such sharp increase in precipitation and frequent torrential rains cannot be explained without the big trend of climate change,” despite the fact that South Korea frequently experiences heavy rains in the summer. It has been observed that this phenomena is occurring more frequently as a direct effect of climate change, which has led to a longer summer.