Record Rainfall Kills at Least 9 in Seoul as Water Floods Buildings, Submerges Cars

Record Rainfall Kills at Least 9 in Seoul as Water Floods Buildings, Submerges Cars

South Korea’s Seoul (CSU) At least nine people were killed this week in the South Korean capital Seoul due to record-breaking downpours that swamped homes, streets, and subway stations while forecasters warned of more rain to come.

The torrential downpour subsided on Wednesday, but forecasts warned that extra 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) of rain might fall through Thursday in already-flooded areas, potentially causing more flooding and mudslides.

According to South Korea’s Interior and Safety Ministry, three of those killed were stranded in a partially submerged basement. According to the ministry, seven individuals are still missing and seventeen more were hurt.

Since Seoul was hit by heavy rain on Monday night, more than 500 individuals have been evacuated, and the ministry has provided tents, blankets, and other emergency supplies. Authorities are also starting cleanup and rescue operations; as of Wednesday, the fire department had saved 145 individuals.
According to the safety ministry, some 2,800 structures, including homes, businesses, retaining walls, and other infrastructure, were harmed, however the majority had been fixed as of Wednesday morning.

Parts of Seoul had up to 497 millimetres (19.6 inches) of rain as of Tuesday night. The city had the highest rate of rainfall since records were first kept in 1907 at one point, when it measured 141.5 millimetres (5.6 inches) of rain per hour.

People can be seen wading across roadways covered in water up to their thighs in photographs taken throughout the city during Monday’s flash floods.

According to the Seoul Metro, in several areas of Seoul, clogged drains caused water to overflow into streets and subway stations. Flooding caused a number of stations to close, and trains were temporarily suspended Monday night.

Images of the aftermath depict destruction and debris strewn throughout the streets, shop owners scrambling to recover their items, crumbling portions of the pavement, and wrecked vehicles that had been swept up by floodwater.

The Gangnam district, which is affluent and contemporary, was among the worst-affected areas south of the Han River. Here, some buildings and shops were flooded and lost power.

On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his condolences to the victims and promised to see the scene in person and take steps to limit further harm.

He also emphasised the necessity to examine the nation’s disaster management system because it is anticipated that extreme weather will become more frequent as a result of the climate catastrophe.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, summer monsoons are anticipated to get stronger and more unpredictable as the Earth warms. Many nations in East Asia are currently seeing increasingly severe daily rainfall.

According to CSU meteorologists, additional bouts of heavy rain will last into Thursday morning before fading in the afternoon.

August is normally the wettest month of the year in Seoul, with an average monthly rainfall of 348 millimetres (13.7 inches). This much rain was recorded in several places in a single day.

While flooding was reported in certain Hokkaido locations following monsoon rains on Monday night, there have been no reported injuries as of Tuesday. The risk of landslides and flash floods has been announced by the authorities.

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