Relentless rainfall has pummeled South Korea for over a week, leaving a trail of destruction and claiming the lives of at least 40 people. The torrential downpours, the worst the country has seen this year, have triggered landslides, submerged homes, and stranded vehicles, prompting a massive rescue and recovery operation.
Since July 9th, over 10,000 individuals have been forced to evacuate their homes, with central and southern regions bearing the brunt of the disaster. The city of Cheongju has become a focal point of the tragedy, where a flash flood inundated a tunnel, trapping approximately 15 vehicles, including a bus. Divers and rescue workers are tirelessly searching the mud-filled passageway, having recovered 13 bodies and rescued nine injured individuals so far. The exact number of people still trapped remains uncertain.
As of Monday afternoon, the majority of the water had been pumped out of the tunnel, allowing rescuers to continue their search on foot. The previous day, they navigated the flooded tunnel in rubber boats, transporting bodies on stretchers. Simultaneously, in the southeastern town of Yecheon, hundreds of emergency personnel, soldiers, and police, aided by search dogs, are combing through the debris of landslides that have claimed at least nine lives, with eight others still missing. The landslides have ravaged homes and roads, leaving a scene of devastation.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, returning from a trip to Europe and Ukraine, convened an emergency government meeting to address the crisis. He urged officials to designate the hardest-hit areas as special disaster zones, facilitating the allocation of financial and logistical resources to support relief efforts. The President later visited Yecheon to assess the situation firsthand and receive updates on the ongoing search and rescue operations.
Nationwide, the damage is extensive, with nearly 200 homes and approximately 150 roads destroyed or damaged. Power outages have also affected over 28,000 people in recent days. The Korea Meteorological Administration continues to issue heavy rain warnings for much of the country, predicting significant additional rainfall in the coming days, further complicating the recovery process.
