More than 5,000 people in South Korea were forced to flee their homes as torrential rains continued for a third day, lashing the western and southern parts of the country. At least four people have died and one is missing, Reuters reported, citing the Ministry of Public Safety, BTA reports.
Warnings for dangerous rainfall remain in effect for large parts of the country. The National Meteorological Service has urged citizens to be extremely cautious due to the risk of flooding and landslides, with the warning valid until at least tomorrow.
Southern regions are particularly hard hit. In the city of Gwangju, for example, more than 400 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in the past 24 hours alone, a record amount according to local authorities.
The deaths included two people trapped in flooded cars, one who died in a basement in South Chungcheong Province, and a driver who died after a 10-meter-high roadside wall collapsed on his car in the city of Osan, about 44 kilometers south of Seoul.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon called an emergency cabinet meeting at which he called for more decisive action in disaster prevention and response.
“I see that there have been cases where the dead were victims of a weak response, even though the situation was quite predictable“, the head of state said, stressing that all available resources must be used to deal with the disaster.
Meteorologists warn that the torrential rains Rains may continue in the coming days, increasing the risk of new incidents and damage to infrastructure.