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197680
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 19:20
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(4th LD) At least 36 killed as heavy downpours batter central South Korea
(4th LD) At least 36 killed as heavy downpours batter central South Korea
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with the latest developments)
SEOUL/CHUNCHEON, South Korea, July 27 (Yonhap) -- The heaviest downpours in a century pounded Seoul and its surrounding areas on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 36 and triggering multiple landslides, urban traffic chaos, power outages and flooded streets, roads and residential areas.
The National Emergency Management Agency said in its official damage assessment that the death toll tallied at 36 as of 11 p.m. is expected to further rise, as dozens remained missing in flooded streams and landslides during the two-day downpours nationwide.
A landslide caused by torrential rain swept away a pension and four residential buildings near Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul, early Wednesday morning, killing 13 people and injuring 26 others, emergency rescue officials said.
In a separate landslide disaster, dozens of houses in hillside villages near the southern tip of Seoul were buried under mud swept from nearby Mount Umyeon around 9 a.m., claiming the lives of at least 17 residents, officials said.
The casualties include the wife of Chairman Koo Hak-su of retail giant Shinsegae Department Store Co., whose house is located at a posh mountainside village near the mountain. The 63-year-old wife drowned while examining her flooded basement, according to police.
A tributary of the Han River running through Gonjiam, about 50 km southeast of Seoul, overflowed Thursday afternoon, killing seven people. A landslide in Paju, just north of Seoul, brought down the roof of a factory, leaving three workers dead and two others injured, according to media reports.
The state-run Education Broadcasting System (EBS) and about 60 junior and high schools across the Seoul and Gyeonggi Province area were also flooded and partially destroyed in the aftermath of the massive downpours and landslides.
"Production work went awry due to a power outrage at one of the two broadcasting centers and a mud inflow from the landslide of Mount Umyeon," an EBS official said.
Connections of Internet and wireless telecommunications also came to a sudden halt around the southern Seoul area as the relentless rain led to power failures at major base stations.
"I was sleeping on the second floor of the pension when I heard the thundering sound of a landslide. The stairs collapsed, and I was buried under mud," said one college student, who was among seven rescued by firefighters from the collapsed houses at Chuncheon.
Rescue workers are still searching for victims from the landslide, which occurred just after midnight near the Soyang River Dam resort, said the officials.
The 13 killed in the landslide that hit the pension include 10 students from Incheon's Inha University who were participating in a four-day volunteer work program at a nearby elementary school, according to the officials. The three other victims are believed to be a local resident and a couple in their 40s.
More than 500 firefighters and police have been sent to the area to speed up rescue efforts for the two missing people, who are believed to be trapped inside the collapsed buildings.
The Chuncheon area had received more than 277.5 millimeters of rain as of 4:30 p.m.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said downpours tallying more than 110mm of rain per hour, a record volume witnessed once or twice in a century, were recorded in the country's central and southern areas, as well as in the Seoul metropolitan area.
The precipitation in Seoul between Tuesday and early Wednesday morning exceeded 400mm, the KMA said, adding that up to 250mm of rain coupled with thunder and gusts are expected through Friday.
Officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government said flooding was reported in streets, subway stations, underground walkways and residential districts throughout the capital city, while several landslides occurred in the city's hilly areas.
A number of flooded main roads in downtown and southern Seoul were closed to traffic, while a motorway linking Seoul to southern Gyeonggi Province was closed due to a landslide.
Downpours were particularly severe in the areas south of the Han River, where a large number of intersections and neighborhoods were submerged in knee-deep water.
The Gwanghwan Intersection at the heart of Seoul was also inundated with water.
"Flooding is caused by a combination of several factors, including topography and streams. Basically, however, the precipitation volume is the biggest factor," said an official at the city hall. "In Seoul's Gwanak district (south of the river), for instance, the heaviest rainfall in a century caused casualties and property damage, reducing the room for the authorities to cope with."
About 60 households in Seoul's Seocho district were isolated due to a landslide.
The Seoul government said 76 people in 36 households have been sent to a refugee camp in the capital, as 710 houses were reported submerged. At least 4,000 vehicles were flooded.
Two people were reported missing in the Bulgwang stream in northwestern Seoul, while another two went missing near a vacation home in Gapyeong, east of Seoul.
In Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, where 360mm of rain were recorded over the past two days, three people were reported missing in flooded streams and rivers.
President Lee Myung-bak made an unscheduled visit to South Korea's main anti-disaster agency, asking officials there to make sure to minimize damage from the downpours.
"Though it's a vacation season, we have to be on emergency duties," Lee said during the visit to the National Emergency Management Agency. "Please make sure to take thorough preventive measures and cope with the aftermath through close contact with local governments."
The Army's Capital Defense Command said it has dispatched nearly 1,500 troops across Seoul to help with rescue efforts. It said it has been working closely with the local disaster management authorities to receive real-time updates on damage.
"We will mobilize as much manpower as we can to ensure a quick recovery," said Army Brig. Gen. Park Nam-soo, the commanding general of the unit.
Cho Hyun-oh, chief of the National Police Agency, also said he ordered the full mobilization of police troops in the flood-affected areas to help with the rescue, search and reconstruction efforts.
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with the latest developments)
SEOUL/CHUNCHEON, South Korea, July 27 (Yonhap) -- The heaviest downpours in a century pounded Seoul and its surrounding areas on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 36 and triggering multiple landslides, urban traffic chaos, power outages and flooded streets, roads and residential areas.
The National Emergency Management Agency said in its official damage assessment that the death toll tallied at 36 as of 11 p.m. is expected to further rise, as dozens remained missing in flooded streams and landslides during the two-day downpours nationwide.
A landslide caused by torrential rain swept away a pension and four residential buildings near Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul, early Wednesday morning, killing 13 people and injuring 26 others, emergency rescue officials said.
In a separate landslide disaster, dozens of houses in hillside villages near the southern tip of Seoul were buried under mud swept from nearby Mount Umyeon around 9 a.m., claiming the lives of at least 17 residents, officials said.
The casualties include the wife of Chairman Koo Hak-su of retail giant Shinsegae Department Store Co., whose house is located at a posh mountainside village near the mountain. The 63-year-old wife drowned while examining her flooded basement, according to police.
A tributary of the Han River running through Gonjiam, about 50 km southeast of Seoul, overflowed Thursday afternoon, killing seven people. A landslide in Paju, just north of Seoul, brought down the roof of a factory, leaving three workers dead and two others injured, according to media reports.
The state-run Education Broadcasting System (EBS) and about 60 junior and high schools across the Seoul and Gyeonggi Province area were also flooded and partially destroyed in the aftermath of the massive downpours and landslides.
"Production work went awry due to a power outrage at one of the two broadcasting centers and a mud inflow from the landslide of Mount Umyeon," an EBS official said.
Connections of Internet and wireless telecommunications also came to a sudden halt around the southern Seoul area as the relentless rain led to power failures at major base stations.
"I was sleeping on the second floor of the pension when I heard the thundering sound of a landslide. The stairs collapsed, and I was buried under mud," said one college student, who was among seven rescued by firefighters from the collapsed houses at Chuncheon.
Rescue workers are still searching for victims from the landslide, which occurred just after midnight near the Soyang River Dam resort, said the officials.
The 13 killed in the landslide that hit the pension include 10 students from Incheon's Inha University who were participating in a four-day volunteer work program at a nearby elementary school, according to the officials. The three other victims are believed to be a local resident and a couple in their 40s.
More than 500 firefighters and police have been sent to the area to speed up rescue efforts for the two missing people, who are believed to be trapped inside the collapsed buildings.
The Chuncheon area had received more than 277.5 millimeters of rain as of 4:30 p.m.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said downpours tallying more than 110mm of rain per hour, a record volume witnessed once or twice in a century, were recorded in the country's central and southern areas, as well as in the Seoul metropolitan area.
The precipitation in Seoul between Tuesday and early Wednesday morning exceeded 400mm, the KMA said, adding that up to 250mm of rain coupled with thunder and gusts are expected through Friday.
Officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government said flooding was reported in streets, subway stations, underground walkways and residential districts throughout the capital city, while several landslides occurred in the city's hilly areas.
A number of flooded main roads in downtown and southern Seoul were closed to traffic, while a motorway linking Seoul to southern Gyeonggi Province was closed due to a landslide.
Downpours were particularly severe in the areas south of the Han River, where a large number of intersections and neighborhoods were submerged in knee-deep water.
The Gwanghwan Intersection at the heart of Seoul was also inundated with water.
"Flooding is caused by a combination of several factors, including topography and streams. Basically, however, the precipitation volume is the biggest factor," said an official at the city hall. "In Seoul's Gwanak district (south of the river), for instance, the heaviest rainfall in a century caused casualties and property damage, reducing the room for the authorities to cope with."
About 60 households in Seoul's Seocho district were isolated due to a landslide.
The Seoul government said 76 people in 36 households have been sent to a refugee camp in the capital, as 710 houses were reported submerged. At least 4,000 vehicles were flooded.
Two people were reported missing in the Bulgwang stream in northwestern Seoul, while another two went missing near a vacation home in Gapyeong, east of Seoul.
In Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, where 360mm of rain were recorded over the past two days, three people were reported missing in flooded streams and rivers.
President Lee Myung-bak made an unscheduled visit to South Korea's main anti-disaster agency, asking officials there to make sure to minimize damage from the downpours.
"Though it's a vacation season, we have to be on emergency duties," Lee said during the visit to the National Emergency Management Agency. "Please make sure to take thorough preventive measures and cope with the aftermath through close contact with local governments."
The Army's Capital Defense Command said it has dispatched nearly 1,500 troops across Seoul to help with rescue efforts. It said it has been working closely with the local disaster management authorities to receive real-time updates on damage.
"We will mobilize as much manpower as we can to ensure a quick recovery," said Army Brig. Gen. Park Nam-soo, the commanding general of the unit.
Cho Hyun-oh, chief of the National Police Agency, also said he ordered the full mobilization of police troops in the flood-affected areas to help with the rescue, search and reconstruction efforts.
