The heaviest rains in 80 years submerge homes and the subway system, trigger landslides and cut power in the capital.
At least seven people have died and six are missing in and around Seoul after torrential rain knocked out power, triggered landslides and flooded homes and the city’s subway system.
The southern part of Seoul was inundated with more than 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain an hour later on Monday, with rainfall in some parts of the city reaching 141.5 mm (5.7 inches) by hour, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
Yonhap news agency said the downpour was the heaviest in 80 years.
At least five people were killed in Seoul, while two died in nearby Geyonggi province early Tuesday, the National Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said.
Three of the victims were people living in a banjiha, an enclosed basement flat of the kind depicted in Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning Parasite, in Seoul’s Gwanak district.
Yonhap news agency said the three included a teenager and that the family had reported that they were trapped in their basement on Monday evening. They were later found dead.
More sad news emerges. The day before they had already reported that their house was flooded. When rescuers arrived, the family was dead. One of the victims had Down syndrome.
Always the most vulnerable communities affected.
— Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) August 9, 2022
Disaster officials said a fourth person also died in Seoul after being trapped in a flooded building, while another is believed to have been electrocuted while trying to clear a fallen tree from the road.
In Gwangju city, Geyonggi province, one person was found under the debris of a collapsed bus station, while another died after being buried in a landslide.
At least nine people were injured, while six were missing.
People walk next to submerged cars on a street during heavy rain in Seoul’s Gangnam district on Monday night [Yonhap/ AFP]
In Seoul’s glitzy Gangnam district, some buildings and shops were flooded and without power on Tuesday, while cars, buses and subway stations were submerged, leaving people stranded.
“I was near Gangnam Station last night when the rain intensified, with thunder and lightning every 30 seconds,” said Lee Dongha, a 27-year-old office worker in Seoul.
“Suddenly, buses, subway stations and streets were submerged, and that’s when I quickly decided to book accommodation because I didn’t want to be stranded, with nowhere to go.”
President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered government officials to evacuate residents from high-risk areas and encouraged companies to allow employees flexible commuting hours Tuesday morning.
“Nothing is more precious than life and safety. The government will thoroughly manage the heavy rain situation,” he wrote on his Facebook account.
The Interior Ministry raised its flood watch level to “severe” on Tuesday, while the Korea Forestry Service issued landslide warnings for 46 cities and counties across the country, including nine districts in Seoul , according to Yonhap.
Meanwhile, the KMA maintained a heavy rain warning for the Seoul metropolitan area, home to 26 million people, for Tuesday and said rainfall could reach 50 to 100 mm per hour (2 to 4 inches ) in some areas.
He said he expects heavy rains in the central part of the country to continue at least until Wednesday.
Although South Korea often experiences heavy rains in the summer, “such a sudden increase in rainfall and frequent torrential rains cannot be explained without the major trend of climate change,” told Reuters news agency a KMA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“This phenomenon is seen more frequently due to climate change which has resulted in a prolonged summer.”