Yonhap/Reuters
A car drives through a flooded area due to heavy rain in Cheongju, South Korea, July 15, 2023.
Hong Kong
CNN
—
Twenty-six people have died and thousands have been displaced from their homes in South Korea after torrential rains triggered landslides and flash floods.
Ten others remain missing, according to the country’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety, while nine were injured in the downpour.
The ministry said 16 deaths were recorded in the country in North Gyeongsang province, which is located along the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula. Most of them died in the landslide.
Public roads, houses and farms were also damaged by severe flooding, it added.
In the South Chungcheong Province city of Nonsan, two people died on Friday after their building collapsed due to a landslide, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Across South Korea, more than 5,566 people were forced to evacuate their homes and seek temporary shelter as of early Sunday, the ministry said. In addition, about 8,300 households in four provinces experienced power outages, according to Yonhap.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered authorities to evacuate those in landslide-prone regions and conduct rescue efforts, according to the South Korean news agency.
Last year, the South Korean capital of Seoul recorded torrential rains that flooded homes, roads and subways, killing at least nine people.
Scientists have warned the frequency and intensity of heavy rains are increasing across East Asia as the human-caused climate crisis accelerates the possibility of extreme weather events.
The latest round of heavy rains in South Korea came just days after devastating floods ravaged neighboring Japan, killing at least six people and injuring 19.
Heavy rain in southwestern Japan prompted the country’s weather agency to issue emergency warnings at the start of the week for Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, on Kyushu, the country’s third-largest island.
Earlier this month, heavy rains also caused flooding in southwestern China, killing at least 15 people in the city of Chongqing.
