31 dead, 11 missing as heavy rain falls across S. Korea

31 dead, 11 missing as heavy rain falls across S. Korea
# 10 August 2020 09:07 (UTC +04:00)

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy downpours in South Korea's central and southwestern regions have killed 31 people and left 11 others missing in just over a week, forcing more than 6,000 to evacuate, authorities said Sunday, APA reports quoting Yonhap News Agency.

The country remains on high alert as search and recovery efforts continue and is bracing for an approaching typhoon likely to reach the peninsula early this week.

Torrential rains that started on Aug. 1 have wreaked havoc on Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province; the central Chungcheong and southwestern Jeolla Province, causing massive flooding and destroying roads, houses and farmland.

According to data from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, as of 7:30 p.m., 13 people have been killed since Friday in accidents caused by the rain and two others have gone missing. More than 3,700 people have been displaced.

The death toll did not count the casualties from three capsized vessels at Uiam Dam in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, which left three dead and three missing on Sunday. It was categorized as a marine accident.

Some 23,000 hectares of farmland were swamped or buried, while 13,370 cases of damage to public and private facilities were reported, according to the authorities.

Typhoon Jangmi, the season's fifth typhoon, is forecast to hit the southern region of the peninsula on Monday, passing waters off the southernmost island of Jeju and arrive in waters off the southern port city of Busan. The KMA said the typhoon is likely to bring a rainfall of up to 300 mm.

The KMA advised people on the southeastern seaside to take extra precautions and be prepared for dangerous tides, possible flooding or landslides.

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