Torrential rains that pounded South Korea for four consecutive days have left at least nine people dead and several others missing, after downpours triggered deadly landslides in the southern Sancheong County, officials said.
A person in their 60s was found in cardiac arrest after a landslide, triggered by heavy rain, engulfed homes in a village in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday morning.
In a separate incident, a landslide in another village in Sancheong killed two others in their home, while a deadly mudslide swept through homes in a different village in the county shortly after noon, leaving two people dead and one missing, according to fire authorities.
Also in Sancheong, another individual was found in cardiac arrest around noon after their home was inundated by rain. Sancheong County issued an alert urging all residents to evacuate to safety, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In the nearby city of Miryang, also in South Gyeongsang Province, a driver in his 60s was killed after floodwaters swept away his car.
Authorities said five people were confirmed dead, two were missing, and two others were found in cardiac arrest in the province on Saturday alone, as record rainfall battered the region. Firefighters continued rescue operations to locate those still unaccounted for.
South Gyeongsang is among the regions hardest hit by the recent downpours, with some areas receiving more than 700 millimetres of rain between Wednesday and Saturday.
The National Fire Agency issued a nationwide firefighting mobilisation order in response to the landslides.
So far, central and local government authorities have reported five deaths and four missing persons since the onset of the rain on Wednesday. Four of the five people killed in South Gyeongsang on Saturday were not yet included in the official death toll.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is expected to release updated figures on casualties and damage assessments later in the day.
Weather authorities have warned that up to 250 mm of additional rainfall could fall within the day, raising concerns about further damage and casualties.
Evacuation orders have been issued for 7,029 residents from 4,995 households, with more than 2,800 people still unable to return home.
The torrential downpours have inundated roads, triggered landslides, and flooded homes across the country. Overnight rainfall remained extreme in many regions.
Incheon’s Yeongheung Island saw 98.5 mm of rain fall in just one hour, between 12:50 a.m. and 1:50 a.m., while Boseong in South Jeolla Province received 88 mm in the same time frame.
Some areas have already received over 40 percent of their annual average rainfall in the past four days. Seosan recorded 558.6 mm of rain from Wednesday to Friday morning — equivalent to 45 percent of its yearly average.
A total of 729 cases of public infrastructure damage have been reported, including 388 flooded roads, 133 landslides, and 57 river facility collapses. Private property damage reached 1,014 cases, including 64 flooded buildings and 59 instances of submerged farmland.
-IANS