A bridge flooded by torrential rains over the Han River the previous day in Seoul, South Korea August 9, 2022. YONHAP NEWS AGENCY/ Portal
The balance sheet is still provisional. Floods that hit Seoul on Monday and Tuesday left seven dead and seven missing, authorities said. In particular, the water penetrated subway stations and several streets in the capital.
“At least seven people have died in the Seoul metropolitan area, (…) seven others are missing because of heavy rain at 7:30 this morning,” a South Korean ministry official told Agence France-Presse (AFP). of the interior.
Authorities warned of more rain as rescue workers tried to clear the carcasses of flooded cars from the streets of Seoul, AFP journalists said. Up to 300 millimeters of additional rain has been forecast for the central region, including Seoul.
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The heaviest rainfall in eighty years
The torrential rains that began Monday are the heaviest in South Korea in 80 years, according to Yonhap news agency.
Dramatic footage shared to social media Monday night showed people wading through waist-deep water, overflowing subway stations and half-submerged cars in Seoul’s upscale Gangnam district.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has warned South Koreans to “watch out for heavy rain, squalls, and thunder and lightning in the central region” in the coming days.
Flood-damaged cars on the street after heavy rains in Gangnam district of Seoul August 9, 2022. YONHAP/AFP
According to local media, three people living in a “banjiha” — cramped basement apartments like the one where the family in Bong Joon-ho’s film “Parasite” live — including a teenager, died by drowning in their home.
President Yoon Seok-youl ordered government officials to evacuate residents from vulnerable areas and encouraged companies to allow their employees flexible working hours on Tuesday morning.
“Nothing is more precious than life and safety. The government will carefully manage the heavy rain situation,” he wrote on his Facebook account.
Daily life in South Korea was still severely disrupted on Tuesday as many roads and tunnels were closed for safety reasons, Yonhap reported.
A car damaged by flood water on the street after heavy rains in Seoul’s Gangnam district on August 9, 2022. YONHAP/AFP