More than 5,000 people have been forced into emergency shelters across South Korea as unrelenting torrential rain wreaks havoc for a third consecutive day, claiming at least four lives and causing widespread damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure, the country’s Interior and Safety Ministry said on Friday.
Torrential rain warnings remain in effect for much of South Korea’s western and southern regions, with the national weather agency cautioning residents about the high risk of landslides and flash flooding through Saturday. Some southern areas, including the city of Gwangju, have seen record rainfall—more than 400mm (16 inches) within a 24-hour period.
Among the reported fatalities: two individuals were found dead inside vehicles trapped on flooded roads; another person drowned in a basement inundated with water in South Chungcheong province; and a fourth victim died when a 10-metre-high roadside retaining wall collapsed onto a moving vehicle in Osan, about 44 kilometres south of Seoul. One person remains missing.
President Lee Jae Myung, who has consistently called for stronger disaster prevention efforts, is expected to chair an emergency meeting on Friday to coordinate the government’s response to the extreme weather.
The authorities continue to monitor the situation closely as weather conditions remain unstable in many parts of the country.
