Heavy rain, flooding leave 22 dead, 14 missing in South Korea

Officials were trying to find how many people were impacted after 19 vehicles were reported submerged and isolated in a flooded underground roadway in Osong, according to Yonhap.

Seoul: At least 22 people have been killed while 14 others were missing as heavy rains flooded South Korea while causing thousands to vacate their homes, Yonhap news agency reported citing authorities.
Officials were trying to find how many people were impacted after 19 vehicles were reported submerged and isolated in a flooded underground roadway in Osong, according to Yonhap.

Most fatalities have been reported in North Gyeongsang, where 16 people died largely due to landslides and housing collapses, followed by South Chungcheong province which reported four deaths, Yonhap News Agency reported citing the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

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The casualties are feared to increase as government agencies assess damage reported across the nation. On Friday, two people died in a building collapse triggered by a landslide in the Nonsan region of South Chungcheong province, the report said.

Meanwhile, one person died in a mudslide in Sejong and three people were killed due to housing collapses in the southeastern county of Yeongju and the central county of Cheongyang. One person was killed after a car was struck by a landslide in Cheongju.

One person died and nine others were rescued in Osong after an underground roadway was flooded when a nearby river overflowed. According to fire authorities, roads were submerged after the flash floods. Officials said there were 19 vehicles on the flooded road, however, the exact number of people in them was still unknown.

Some 6,400 residents in Goesan were evacuated as the Goesan Dam began to overflow at around 6:30 am (local time), according to Yonhap News Agency. A total of 4763 people across the nation had sought temporary shelters as of Saturday evening as heavy rains continued across the country.

As many as 59 cases of damage to public property were reported, including 18 cases of destroyed or swept-away roads, according to Yonhap News Agency. Meanwhile, 80 cases of damage to private property were reported, including 26 flooded homes. Electricity bailouts were reported in 13 cities and counties across the country.

While electricity has been restored in the majority of the places. However, over 8,300 households in Mungyeong, Yeongju and Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province still don’t have electricity, the report said. Crops and roads have been swept away due to floods. As many as 139 roads remain closed while 384 trails in 19 national parks have been closed.