(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
At least seven people died in and around the South Korean
capital of Seoul overnight, authorities said on Tuesday, after
torrential rain knocked out power, caused slips and left roads and
subways submerged, Trend reports citing Reuters .
The southern part of Seoul received more than 100mm (3.9 inches)
of rain per hour on late Monday, with some part of the city having
received 141.5mm of rain, the worst rainfall in decades, according
to Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
The accumulated rainfall in Seoul since midnight Monday stood at
420mm as of 5 a.m. Tuesday, with more rain forecast.
In the glitzy, highly concentrated Gangnam district, some
buildings and storeswere flooded and were without power, while
cars, buses and subway stations were submerged, leaving people
stranded.
'I was near Gangnam station last night when the rainfall
intensified, with thunder and lightning striking every 30 seconds,'
said Lee Dongha, a 27-year-old office worker in Seoul. 'All of a
sudden, buses, subway stations and streets were submerged, and
that's when I quickly decided to book an accommodation as I didn't
want to be left stranded, with nowhere to go.'
At least five people died in Seoul and two others in the
neighbouring Gyeonggi Province by early Tuesday, the Central
Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said. Four died
after being trapped in flooded buildings, one was believed to have
been electrocuted, one person was found under the wreckage of a bus
stop, and another died in a landslide, it said.
At least nine people were injured, while six were missing.
The headquarters raised the crisis alert to the highest and
requested organisations adjust their working hours.
The KMA issued heavy rain warnings across the capital and the
metropolitan area of 26 million as well parts of Gangwon and
Chungcheong Province.
President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency response
meeting, ordering authorities to focus on preventing casualties and
quickly controlling and recovering flooded areas, the disaster
headquarters said.
The KMA expects heavy rainfall for the central part of the
country to continue through at least Wednesday.
While South Korea often experiences heavy rains in summer, 'such
sharp increase in precipitation and frequent torrential rains
cannot be explained without the big trend of climate change,' a KMA
official, who spoke in condition of anonymity, told Reuters. 'This
phenomenon is seen occurring more often due to climate change that
has resulted in a prolonged summer.'
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