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Posted on 07/30/2011 7:06:28 PM PDT by moviefan8
SEOUL - Heavy rains, which drenched Seoul and the central regions from Tuesday, continued Thursday, triggering more deadly landslides and flash floods.
The official death toll reached 53 as of 4 p.m., while 14 others were reported missing, the National Emergency Management Agency said. The tally is likely to climb as rescuers search for the victims and reports continue to come in, it said.
"Residents need to remain on alert for more landslides or flash floods," an NEMA official said.
From Tuesday till 4 p.m. Thursday Seoul registered 534 millimeters of rain, the heaviest downpour on record. Other central regions also reported record levels of precipitation.
Heavy rains triggered deadly landslides, flash floods, while paralyzing traffic and cutting electricity supply to some areas. Thousands of public officials, police and military officials were mobilized nationwide for rescue and restoration efforts.
On top of Wednesday's two deadly landslides in Seoul and Chuncheon, which claimed 29 lives, several more mudslides were reported overnight in areas north of the capital.
In Pocheon, six people were killed, as days of torrential rains sent a wall of mud and water into mountainside houses.
A plant collapsed in Paju, leaving three workers dead and two others injured. One was missing.
In Dongducheon, north of Seoul, a mountain hut was found flattened by a landslide. Rescuers were searching for four people who had been staying at the hut.
The anti-disaster agency issued landslide warnings for a total of 77 towns, including 11 in the Seoul area.
"The possibility of a landslide has risen to a very high level by days of heavy downpours which followed a long rainy season," the emergency official said.
Casualties from multiple landslides that occurred in Seoul's posh villages at the foot of Mount Umyeon on Wednesday morning rose to 16. Twenty others were injured, while another was still missing.
In a village in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, where a landslide killed 13 just past midnight Wednesday, residents evacuated for the fear of another landslide.
Of the landslide victims, 10 were students of Inha University who were in the area for volunteer work during their summer vacation.
Flash-flooding also took many lives.
In the cities of Gwangju and Yongin, both in Gyeonggi Province, eight were killed, while seven went missing and hundreds of others evacuated as local stream Gonjiam flooded.
Nationwide, more than 1,400 houses and 645 hectare of farmland have been submerged. Over 9,400 people fled their homes due to flooding and possible landslide.
Electricity outage occurred, affecting 126,000 houses across the country.
Traffic conditions in Seoul improved from chaos Wednesday, as emergency officials sped up cleanup and restoration efforts and more commuters chose public transportations.
Still, some 32 major roads remained closed to traffic Thursday in and around Seoul, while subway services continued to be partially disturbed.
Send some of that rain to south Texas. We didn’t get anything out of tropical storm Don.
/johnny
I was talking to someone on the phone over there a few days ago and she said she is sick of the rain. She asked me about it and I said what is on the news here is all about the debt ceiling.
Just kidding, mostly serious.
I spent the one year anniversary of 9/11 in Korea, and the entire South went silent for the 'moment of silence' from what I could tell. I've told that story here before, under a different screen-name, back when it happened.
I do love those people. Most were Christian, and acted like family when I was there. It was amazing to a parochial American.
I pray for a swift recovery for them. They do what is required.
/johnny
The death toll is up to 62.
Apparently, some land mines need to be located.
Our military bases are also having problems.
I hope the country recovers soon.
I didn’t realize the number of Christians was/is so great in South Korea. I too pray with you for their swift recovery. I’ve no doubt they’ll do whatever they need. I saw a video of soldiers and students out in the pouring rain already removing mud and debris.
Am not surprised to see they had a moment of silence for the 9/11 anniversary, but throughout the entire nation is really humbling to learn.
Neither did I, until my first hour on the road, in a bus, in SK. Lots of building going on. Lots of cranes on the horizons, and LOTS of steeples. Steeples come with churches underneath them, generally. And there were lots. And lots of good folks to worship with when I was there.
And an amazing history.
Tough folk, good folk. Lots of Christians. It was like home with kimchee and cheap electronics and the korean language.
/johnny
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