The heaviest rains in 80 years have hit the metropolis of Seoul – at least seven people have died. Some even drowned in their own homes. North Korea has also issued a warning.
Storms and flooding have claimed at least seven lives in South Korea. According to reports from South Korean broadcasters, six people were missing by mid-morning (local time). In the metropolis of Seoul and neighboring regions in the northern part of the country, houses, streets, fields and subway stations were under water. Many lanes and train stations had to be temporarily closed.
Since the previous day, the capital region has been hit by heavy rainfall. The weather bureau announced further heavy rain. The highest amount of rainfall in 80 years was measured in the southern Seoul district of Dongjak, as reported by the national news agency Yonhap, citing the weather bureau. At one point, more than 141 liters of rain per square meter per hour fell there.
In the area, a city employee was reportedly killed trying to clear a fallen tree. He was believed to have died as a result of an electric shock. Three people drowned in their basement apartment in Gwanak district. In the same district, a body was recovered from an apartment that was also flooded. A body was recovered from under the rubble of a collapsed bus stop in Gyeonggi province, and another person was killed in a landslide.
President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed authorities to evacuate people from areas most at risk from the floods. North Korea also issued a heavy rain warning today. According to North Korean radio reports, the warning affects the southern parts of the country. So far there have been no reports of damage in the largely isolated country.
